


Take On Me

by Strangerthingsfan1985



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Language Barrier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2020-07-10 07:13:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 44,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19901845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strangerthingsfan1985/pseuds/Strangerthingsfan1985
Summary: Sarah Bauman gets an unexpected visit from her cousin Murray and his new friend, a Russian scientist named Alexei, and soon, everything changes.





	1. Take On Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Stranger Things story, I fell in love with Alexei and wanted to give him a happier ending. The rating will change in later chapters, and all translations are from Google, I apologize if they are incorrect.

### Take On Me ###

_Seven years._

I scraped the bottom of my now-empty Italian ice container, hunting for another scoop of cherry. Today had been a fun but exhausting day at the youth center - Lisa had organized a relay race, and trying to keep up with the kids had left all the adult volunteers out of breath. The way I saw it, I burned enough calories to eat a dozen Italian ices.

Graham had never allowed sweets in the house while we were married. The day my divorce went through, I went to the nearest 7/11 and stocked up on junk food like a teenager going to a sleepover.

_It would have been seven years today._

Being divorced from a cheating manipulative bastard was wonderful. I had my house and kept my family's money, thanks mostly to my cousin. I had freedom, and I did not miss Graham.

_I should be happy._

The loneliness of being in a terrible relationship was not the same as actually being alone. I liked my independence. I could eat raw cookie dough and fall asleep on the couch watching MacGyver. I could volunteer at the youth center as long as I wanted and not have to come home to clean, cook, and remember to pretty myself up because my husband liked it better when I was made up like Farrah Fawcett, even though I looked nothing like her.

Graham had asked me to dye my hair blond and feather it, but I refused. "You'd be so beautiful if you only tried," he'd sighed. I compromised with makeup, even though I couldn't make myself look like the models on TV that he always pointed out to me. 

Once, I brought my makeup to the youth center, hastily putting it on before I left for home. Little Jenny Carter saw me and giggled. "Miss Sarah, you don't need makeup! You're so pretty!"

I'd nearly burst into tears. A sweet little girl had just treated me with more compassion than my husband.

_Maybe it was just as well that we never had kids._

I headed to the kitchen, setting my container and spoon in the sink, trying not to dwell on the thought. Graham would have been an awful father. He'd made it clear that he didn't have time for kids, and didn't like the idea of me dedicating my time to anyone but him. 

"Forget it," I muttered. The past was past. I was better off. It was time to relax, enjoy my long weekend, watch tv...

Suddenly there was a single knock at my back door. A double knock, then nothing. 

_The signal._

I groaned. "No, no, please..."

Someone knocked three times, then stopped.

Definitely The Signal.

"Murray," I whispered, and sighed. My older cousin was a genius, and lately, a pain. He'd taken to leaving long rambling messages on my answering machine, insisting on communicating in the code we set up as kids. He was brilliant, weird, and paranoid as hell. And right now, he was letting me know he needed something. 

Was it money? Our family had plenty of money, which Murray used for God knows what. Maybe he needed to vent about the government, or whatever conspiracy he unearthed...

My thoughts were interrupted by a now insistent knock at the back door. I hurried to it and peered out of the keyhole. I could almost see the crazy glint in his eye. "Normal people don't do this," I called out.

"The eagle flies at midnight," a terse familiar voice responded.

I groaned and let my head hit the door. You could never just greet my cousin like a normal person. If you didn't adhere to his codes or instructions, he would rant and rave for hours. "Murray, it's been a long day, and I am so not in the mood..."

"I said, the eagle flies at midnight!" 

"Okay, fine. The dove flies at dawn."

"Excellent. Now open up!"

I swung the door open to see my cousin looking anxious, which was not unusual, but there was a man standing back in the shadows behind him. _That_ was unusual. Murray was proud to be a lone wolf. I was probably the closest thing he had to a friend in...ever?

"What are you..."

"It's an emergency, Sarah. We need your help."

I raised an eyebrow. "...We?"

Murray motioned to the man, who stepped closer. He was pale, with curly hair and glasses. His eyes darted around nervously and seemed to widen when they settled on me. 

I suppressed a wince. I hadn't been expecting company, so I was in my pajamas, which were boxers and an old Garfield shirt. No bra, no underwear. I crossed my arms over my chest and cleared my throat. "And who are you?"

The man looked almost disappointed. _"Ty govorish' na russkom yazyke?"_

I stared at him, then at Murray. "What in the hell..."

"Let us in," Murray snapped. "It's been a long couple of days."

####

According to my cousin, this man - Alexei - saved the country, even the whole world. This strange man, who was sitting in my living room, sipping a Coke and watching Night Court.

Murray, on the other hand, was his usual tense self. "I have to start over," he mumbled, staring at the floor. "I have to relocate. My location was compromised."

Questions were racing through my head, but first things first. "Murray," I asked carefully, "Are you in trouble?"

"No. No, not right now, but... God, Jim is an idiot. No, I'm fine, but I have to do some research."

"Do you need money?"

Murray snorted. "I have money."

"Okay, so...how can I help? Why are you here, exactly?" _With your strange Russian friend_ , I silently added.

Murray gestured to Alexei. "We both need a safe place to stay until I can find a more suitable permanent location."

"...What? Here?"

"Yes, please," Murray said impatiently. "You know I don't trust hotels! I need a place for both me and Alexei."

Alexei turned at the mention of his name and gave me a tentative smile.

My jaw dropped. "You want me to take in a strange man into my home? Are you insane?"

"He's harmless!" My cousin glared at me. "All he wants is to watch tv and eat junk food. We won't be in your way. Let's face it, you don't work, you don't have kids..."

I held a hand up. "Don't. Just don't."

Murray's gaze softened. "I'm sorry, okay? But please. I'll stay here with both of you. You'll see, he's totally harmless. I vouch for him. Have I ever vouched for anyone before?"

He hadn't. Not ever. But this was too weird. "Murray...I can't just have a strange guy live with me."

"I'll be here too. I won't leave you alone with him until you feel safe. Please, Sarah." Murray moved closer, lowering his voice. "He has no one. Nothing. Seriously, I'm his only friend right now. I'm all he has."

I looked at Alexei, who was engrossed in watching an ad for Care Bears. Murray trusted him, which was huge. Murray never trusted anybody, ever - except me.

As kids, we had each other's backs. I looked up to my cousin, who was ten years older than me, and was independent, intelligent, and fearless. I'd defend him when family members got on his case about his odd behavior, and he'd help steer me away from fake friends and creeps. No one could read people like Murray. 

After he left for Chicago, I met Graham while volunteering at the local hospital where he was interning, and was swept away by his Don Johnson good looks and smooth talking. I was in my early twenties, and was starting to get attention from men. Dating never really happened much in high school, since I was busy with school work and volunteering. Graham flirted openly, called me Wonder Woman and took me to fancy restaurants and nightclubs.

Murray would have hated him instantly. He did hate him, once he met him. 

No one could see past people's bullshit like my cousin. Murray was weird, but he was a good person. He'd never put me in danger.

And he said Alexei meant no harm...

Alexei sipped at his Coke, watching TV with big, innocent eyes. 

I suppressed a sigh. "Does he speak any English?"

Murray smiled, clearly knowing he'd won. "No."

####

I held the door while the men took their belongings from Murray's car to the living room. Alexei hauled in a huge Woody the Woodpecker plushie, blushing as he walked past me.

"He won it," Murray snapped when I raised an eyebrow. 

I led them upstairs to the guest rooms, which were down the hall from my master bedroom. It dawned on me that I was not only letting a stranger into my home, but only a few feet away from my room. Sudden panic seized me, and I grabbed Murray's shoulder. "Hey. You tell your friend that if he tries anything funny, he's toast. I know self defense and I'm taking karate. Tell him!"

Murray rolled his eyes, but spoke to Alexei in a low, serious voice. 

Alexei's eyes widened in horror. He looked at me and held his hands up, pleading as he spoke rapidly. _"Ya by nikogda tebya ne obidel. Ya by nikogda ne obidel zhenshchinu!"_

Murray spoke soothingly to him, then translated. "He says he would never hurt you, and that he'd never hurt a woman."

"Good." I tried to stare Alexei down, but he looked so upset that I had to turn away. "I'm not trying to offend him."

"He'll be fine." Murray patted his friend's shoulder, which seemed to calm him down a bit. 

Seeing Murray bond with someone was surreal. I felt almost like an outsider, watching them. "Hey, um...do you have everything you need?"

"We'll go get more supplies tomorrow." Murray hugged me in a rare form of affection. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

I smiled and patted his back. "I'd say you owe me, but I think now we're even."

Murray chuckled as he released me. "The memory of telling your scumbag husband that I knew about his cheating on medical exams is a cherished one."

"That's not all he cheated on," I muttered. Graham's affair with his mentor's wife was another piece of information that came out in Murray's investigation. After being exposed, Graham had been desperate to leave town and therefore gave me anything I wanted in the divorce, which was my own money and the house. 

My house, which now had a stranger in it. 

I looked at Alexei, who smiled and waved, blushing slightly. "Saved the world, huh?"

Murray grinned, looking proud. "You have no idea."

Alexei cleared his throat and asked Murray something in Russian, glancing at me the whole time. Murray chuckled and responded, and whatever he said made Alexei smile.

"What did he say?"

"He wanted to know if you knew what happened in Hawkins. I told him no, but that you knew he was a hero."

"...What happened in Hawkins?"

Murray sighed. "Another story for another day. Let's get some sleep."


	2. In My House

### In My House ###

_Was I dreaming?_

No, I realized, as I sat up in bed and the memories of the night before rushed back. My eccentric cousin had arrived with some guy, and they were both in my house.

"I must be crazy", I whispered to myself. 

A few feet away from my bedroom was my cousin, who terrified the rest of the family. Dark sheep didn't begin to cover it. My dad and his brother - Uncle David, Murray's father - thought being a journalist in Chicago would "calm Murray down". It didn't. His eccentricities led him to being a near recluse. Still, he was happier on his own, a fact that went unnoticed to everyone but me. 

Now he was here, with some strange man. A Russian.

A spy?

I sighed and got up, trudging to my bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I couldn't sleep much last night, but exhaustion took over. Now paranoia had my heart rate going up. 

_Murray would never put me in danger._

When I was fourteen, I'd had my first date. Aaron Stevenson. Handsome, athletic, popular. Murray picked me up after school and saw him talking to me, and warned me off befriending "that little jackass."

But I was young, and smitten. I had no idea what he saw in a quiet nerdy girl like me, but I agreed to meet him at the local ice cream parlor. Once I got there, Aaron showed up with his friends and tried to stick ice cream down my shirt. It was all a cruel prank. Murray had suddenly appeared, screaming like a banshee and scaring them away. He'd been watching, afraid that I'd get hurt.

Afterward, he bought me a banana split and put his arm around me while I cried. Anyone else would've gotten an "I told you so" lecture from him, but he only wanted to comfort me.

Just like after I signed the divorce papers, he was there with a grocery bag full of junk food. We sat on the court steps and ate Oreos and drank Coke while Murray distracted me with stories about conspiracy theories. 

Murray was always there for me. Now, he seemed like he was being there for his good friend. A man he trusted.

_"Alexei is a hero. He's a good man, Sarah."_

"He'd better be," I muttered to myself, then headed to the closet. There was no way I was going to walk around half naked with family and some random guy in my home. Jeans and a t-shirt, that was safe. And a bra. I grabbed a looser shirt so I'd feel more comfortable. It was a Christmas gift from one of kids at the youth center, a shirt with a picture of Mr. T saying "I pity the fool!"

Just as I was putting it on, my stomach rumbled. I sniffed the air. Someone was cooking something. Something that smelled _delicious_.

I quickly finished getting and headed downstairs. "Hey, cousin," I called out, "If you're making breakfast, you'd better not start a fire like you did at Grandma's..."

When I got downstairs, I saw that Murray was sitting in the breakfast nook, calmly reading a newspaper. "That was what, twenty years ago?" he scoffed, not even looking up. "Let it go."

I turned to the kitchen. There was Alexei, in my kitchen, _my_ stove, frying something (delicious) on _my_ skillet...

"What the hell?"

Murray turned a page. "He wanted to make breakfast. A thank you. You should be gracious and thank him in return."

Alexei looked up at me and smiled. _"Syrniki."_ He pointed to the round pancakes in the skillet.

"Surneekay?"

My cousin groaned. "Your pronounciation is torturous. Syrniki is basically dumplings made of cottage cheese."

"Oh." I managed a smile at Alexei. "Thank you. I guess."

He grinned and looked back down at the skillet.

Murray chuckled for some reason. "There's coffee too."

"Oh. Thanks." I got myself a cup,very aware of the man in my kitchen. Part of me felt like I should be angrier at these two helping themselves to my kitchen, but I hadn't had someone make me breakfast and coffee in ages, unless you counted the occasional trip to Burger King. Graham was always too busy, or too tired, or it was "woman's work". 

_Stop thinking of Graham._

I took a deep breath and joined my cousin in the breakfast nook. "So, what's your plan for today?"

"Getting clothes, soap, the essentials." 

"Heading to the mall?"

Murray's expression darkened. "We've had our share of mall experiences."

"Um, okay..."

"We'll figure it out." Murray set his paper down. "I need to make some calls today."

"As long as they're not to Russia, I'm fine with that."

"Sarah, don't be ridiculous." 

"You're right, I'm clearly the weirdo here." I looked at Alexei. "So... what else can you tell me about this guy?"

Murray smirked. "You want to know if he's single?"

"What? N-no!" I stammered. "That's not funny."

"Fine, fine. He's a scientist."

"Okay. What else? What's he doing in America?"

"Experiments. And before you ask, they were scientific experiments, but not on people or animals. More like...space travel. Remember the space race?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Murray grunted and set the newspaper down. "He was brought here against his will by the Russian government. They had him doing experiments and research, and told him if he refused, that they'd torture and kill him and his family. Then, while he was here, he found out his parents died in a suspicious car accident. So he's a man without a family or a country."

I looked at Murray in horror. "My god, that's..."

"Terrible? Yes. Like I said last night, I'm all he has." Murray sipped his coffee. "Nice shirt, by the way."

"Shut up." I looked back to Alexei. _You poor thing._

Both my parents were gone, and I'd been an only child. Maybe that's why I had gotten do involved with Graham so quickly. I was lonely, just like Alexei was probably lonely. 

He seemed unsure of himself. He was in a strange country, in a strange house. I felt like I should say something soothing but I had no idea what I could say. Plus, there was the fact that we didn't even speak the same language. 

_What would I say to you, if we could talk to each other?_

"Earth to Sarah! Hello!" Murray waved his hands in front of my face. "I said, where's the nearest Kmart?" 

"Jeez! Okay, I heard you! I'll get you a map, just... settle down!" I got up to retrieve a local map from the junk drawer, my heart beating faster when I got closer to Alexei. I was standing right next to him.

Alexei turned off the stove and set the skillet on an off burner. He watched me take out a map and pushed up the glasses on his nose. 

_He *is* cute._

He had a sweet little smile, and dark eyes that seemed to sparkle. Dark curly hair, a slim build. Last night he wore a long sleeve shirt and dress pants, but today he had on jeans and a shirt that said "Hawkins...It's the place to be!" 

I looked up to see that Alexei had noticed me staring. He smiled nervously and cleared his throat. _"Zavtrak gotov"_ he murmured.

"That means 'breakfast is ready'" Murray translated. "Did you forget about the map, dear cousin?"

"Um..." My face burned red and I hurried to the table, handing the map to Murray. "Here. Keep it."

"Thank you. Now, let's eat, shall we?"

####

Breakfast was amazing. I got out berry jam and honey to go with the syrniki, and had Murray thank Alexei for cooking. Alexei gave me a little smile and blushed.

Murray seemed amused and irritated. "Well then."

"What?"

Murray only chuckled and sipped his coffee.

After breakfast, I put the dishes in the sink. The men were planning to head to Kmart for supplies, and I'd finish them up while they were gone. Plus take a shower and get properly dressed. 

"While we're gone, do not answer the phone or the door to anyone else, even if you know them," Murray instructed me while they were heading out. "You remember our code?"

"Buster brown," I answered automatically. When we were kids, Murray had come up with a disaster code. If one of us was I'm trouble, we'd signal the other person by working "buster brown" into conversation.

"Great. We'll be back soon." 

Alexei gave me a shy smile before Murray muttered something and pulled him to the door. I stood in my living room and sighed. So much for a restful weekend.

####

Kitchen cleanup took longer than I'd expected. Alexei hadn't made a mess, but I was feeling self conscious about my unexpected guests, so I figured it was about time to really scrub things down. We hadn't discussed dinner, but Murray ate anything and hadn't mentioned any dietary restrictions for his friend. I took some steaks from the freezer to thaw and headed upstairs to shower and change.

Once upstairs, I headed into the shower, my mind racing. I wondered what Murray's plans for Alexei were. He'd mentioned that his friend wanted to become an American citizen, but what then? It would be hard for him to get used to American customs, and he only spoke Russian. Plus, he was all on his own.

I didn't need to dwell on it. One thing at a time. 

Just as I was getting out, I heard the front door open. They were back already.

I hastily put on a bathrobe and took the towel off my head. I headed into the hallway as the guys came up the stairs, carrying large bags. 

"That didn't take too long," I noted, and Murray scoffed. 

"Of course not. We were very efficient." 

Alexei looked at me and his eyes grew wide. I pulled my robe closer around me and he looked away, his face red. He scurried into the guest room that he'd claimed, leaving me with Murray.

"Um, steak for dinner?" I asked, willing my face to stop burning.

"Sure, thanks." Murray headed into the other guest bedroom and set down his bags. "Your security system is atrocious, by the way."

"My security system is up to date."

"It doesn't have nearly as many cameras as a single woman needs! Luckily, I stopped by RadioShack and I'll be taking care of that for you. You're welcome."

"Whatever you say." I left my cousin to his belongings and headed back to my room. I passed Alexei's room and glanced in. He was taking out his things, carefully setting his purchases on the bed. 

Not wanting to bother him or start staring like a creep, I hurried to my room. I needed to get dressed and go on about my day.


	3. Living in America

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed to title of the story, because I hated it. I think the new one fits better. :)

### Living in America ###

"A genius," Murray shouted into the phone. "The likes of Einstein! I'm not kidding! Haven't you heard of Operation Paperclip?"

I walked out of the kitchen, shaking my head in disbelief. I hadn't seen my cousin so invested in helping someone else since...well, me. He had contacts that could help Alexei get a job, he said, and also help him with citizenship. 

As for learning English, they had found a Russian-to-English book at Waldenbooks, and Murray was kind enough to get Russian translation book for me. 

"A little extra knowledge never hurt anyone," he'd told me with a smug grin when he handed it to me. 

It made me embarrassed for some reason, and I quickly took the book and hid it in the junk drawer. Maybe I'd look at it later, when the guys were sleeping.

Whoever was in the other end of the phone was feeling the full extent of Murray's wrath. "The fact that I have to explain myself to you is making my brain cells atrophy! I am talking about actual Russian intelligence, highly classified experiments, the likes of which you...Oh, very funny. Well this isn't Rocky IV!" Murray sighed. "No, I am not exaggerating. Do you need some sort of proof? I have witnesses!"

"Lunch," I whispered, pointing to the kitchen. I'd made bacon and put out bread with tomato and lettuce. I figured I'd go shopping later to get more food.

Murray nodded and reached into his pocket, handing me an envelope. "Here. He has me on hold. Reluctant bastard..."

I took the envelope and looked in. A stack of hundreds, probably two thousand dollars worth. "Murray! What the hell?"

"Rent. For housing me and Alexei."

I shook my head. "Murray, that's sweet, but I have money, and we're family..."

"Just take it," he snapped. "It's the least I can do. I'm not arguing with you too!"

"Okay, okay, you win. Thank you." I put the envelope in my pocket and headed upstairs, leaving Murray to huff into the phone. 

I was down the hallway and almost to my room when Alexei stepped out of the guest bathroom, fresh out of the shower, wearing only a towel around his waist. He spotted me and froze.

I stopped in my tracks, trying not to gawk. Drops of water beaded on his shoulders, trickling down his arms, which were surprisingly toned. His skin looked soft. He smelled like cedarwood and spices, a warm and very male scent.

"Uh..." I cleared my throat. "Lunch. Food. Downstairs." I pantomimed eating a sandwich.

 _"Sendvich?"_ he asked softly.

"Yeah, sandwich!" I grinned and gave him two thumbs up. 

He returned my grin, and gave me two thumbs up. 

Then his towel fell.

I shrieked as he quickly bent down to retrieve it, and in sheer panic I ran to my room and slammed the door behind me.

Nervous laughter bubbled up but I clamped my hand over my mouth and tried to calm down. Everything was fine, it was an accident, I didn't see anything.

Well. That last part wasn't true.

"Oh my god," I whispered. How was I going to face him again?

I heard a door slam, then open about a minute later, and quick footsteps running down the stairs. Alexei was speaking rapidly in Russian, and I could hear my cousin shouting in response.

"What's going on? What? Slow down...hold on, okay...you know what, I'll call you back. Wait, Alexei, _chto sluchilos_? Wait, are you serious?"

Alexei babbled something, sounding very upset, and everything went quiet. 

Then Murray began laughing hysterically. 

I sighed as Alexei shouted something over and over... _"Eto ne smeshno!"_ , to which my cousin replied "Yes it is, it's goddamn hilarious!" and kept laughing. 

"Why me?" I groaned, and braced myself when the laughing grew louder. 

A playful knock at my bedroom door set my nerves on edge. "Oh dear cousin? I've been told you've gotten very well acquainted with your guest."

"Shut. Up." I opened the door to glare at him. "It was mortifying!"

Murray chuckled. "That bad, huh?"

"N-no, it wasn't bad at all, I...I'm not...shut up!"

"Oh, I'm teasing. Just making sure you're okay. Alexei is very upset."

I cringed. "Is he... okay?"

Murray sighed. "Well...he thinks he's offended you. He asked if he had to leave now."

"No, no, it was a mistake. It's fine."

Murray smirked. "C'mon downstairs, tell him yourself."

####

Alexei was huddled on the living room couch, now wearing jeans and a dress shirt. He saw me and quickly looked down, his face red. _"Ona v poryadke?"_ he mumbled.

"He wants to know if you're okay." Murray patted my shoulder. "Tell him."

I managed a smile. "I'm okay, are you okay?" 

Murray translated, and Alexei looked up, surprised. He nodded, still blushing. _"Mne zhal'. Eto byl neschastnyy sluchay."_

"He said he's sorry, and it was an accident."

"I know it was." I smiled, wanting to reassure him. He was so scared and nervous. It reminded me of when we'd get a new arrival at the youth center - they'd usually hide off to the side, watching everyone else have fun, until we encouraged them to join in. Seeing that fear turn to joy was one of the best things I could be a part of, and now something similar was happening with Alexei. 

He looked up at me with his sweet brown eyes, and I wanted to reassure him. He looked like he needed a hug. 

_We're not quite there yet._

_Wait, "yet"?_

Ignoring my racing thoughts, I sat next to him and gave him a big smile. He grinned at me, which made my pulse kick up a notch. 

"Lunch," I reminded him, and pantomimed eating.

 _"Sendvich,"_ he replied, and we both smiled.

Murray muttered something about "always getting stuck with two clueless idiots" and headed into the kitchen.

####

After lunch, the men went out to the patio for a smoke break (there was no way I would allow smoking in my house, I made that clear to both of them). I didn't have to clean up, as Murray said they were "more than capable of putting things away, thank you very much", so I was unsure if what to do. Murray had their new clothes in the washer, and I didn't have anything planned.

The phone rang, and it was Lisa.

"You won't believe it," she gushed. "Tell me you're not doing anything right now."

"Um, I'm not." I sat down on my living room couch and looked out to the patio. Alexei was gesturing to the view of the mountains.

"Remember that guy who helped with setting up the 4th of July party for the kids? Steve. He was here again today."

"Oh yeah, him." Steve was a sweet guy, and we'd struck up a friendly conversation while putting together table and gift bags for the kids. I hadn't thought about him much at all lately. "How's he doing?"

"Um, great, and he asked for your number."

"...What?"

"Well, technically I gave it to him."

"What?"

"Oh, c'mon! You haven't been in a date since forever. Here's a decent guy, single..."

I sighed. What a day. "You asked him out for me?"

Lisa scoffed. "You'll thank me later. He's so cute, and I mentioned you were single and that you were taking some time off, so you had all this free time..."

"And what did he say to that, exactly?"

"He said, 'Oh, maybe I'll give her a call, we can see a movie or something.'"

I laughed. "That's not a date, that two friendly people hanging out."

"Ugh, you are hopeless. Anyway, I got his number too. Write this down."

"Okay, fine." I grabbed the notepad next to the couch and a nearby pen, then noticed something written on one of the pages, and frowned. 

It was...in Russian. 

_Alexei._

"You still there?"

"Uh, yeah." I flipped the pages to a blank page and wrote Steve's name and number on it. I tore out the page and set it on the table, while Lisa gushed about what a cute couple I'd make with Steve.

In the meantime, my mind raced.

_I should copy what he wrote, and look it up in my book._

_No, that would be wrong. An intrusion of privacy._

_But he's in my home, and he's a stranger._

_And I've seen him naked._

_Oh god, don't think of that._

_Naked...slightly toned, not too muscular, and...a very...big..._

"Sarah?"

"I'm here!" I blurted, setting the notepad back on the table. "So okay, I'll call him sometime. Not now, though. My cousin dropped by for a visit."

"Oh, cool. Hey, I'm throwing a barbeque next month, nothing too crazy, but it'll be fun. If he's still there, you should bring him."

"Um, maybe." I cleared my throat. "So...what's new with you?"

####

Luckily I got Lisa to drop the subject of Steve, and after we were done talking I hurried to the kitchen, snuck out the translation book and ran upstairs while the guys carried on with their conversation outside.

I had to learn to talk to Alexei, even if it was just a few words. He'd been so horrified by what had happened earlier, and I couldn't calm him down without Murray. He'd been so scared and upset, holding onto himself while he looked at the floor. I'd never wanted to hug someone so badly. 

After hiding the book under my pillow, I headed back downstairs, grabbed a few Italian ices and spoons, and headed outside to join the guys.


	4. Neutron Dance

### Neutron Dance ###

The guys had stopped smoking by the time I headed out. "Ready for a snack?" I asked, holding up the ices. 

Murray grinned. "Aha! Great idea."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yes. Alexei loves cherry slurpees, so this is perfect."

"You like cherry?" I asked, handing him an ice and a spoon. 

Murray translated, and Alexei excitedly took an ice. _"Ya lyublyu vishnyu!"_

I giggled, not able to help it. He was just so damn _cute_.

Murray laughed softly. I was tempted to ask him what was so funny, but instead I sat down next to him and began eating. "So...who were you talking to earlier? Sounded like they got you worked up."

"Ugh. Idiots. For some reason they won't let me speak to Dr. Owens directly. His subordinates are morons who will not listen to reason." He stabbed his ice with a spoon and glared. "I'll have to call Jim. He'll make it all work."

"Who's Jim?"

"An associate."

Classic Murray, tight lipped as ever. I smirked. "Friend of yours?"

"I'm not sure I'd go as far as to say 'friend', but we don't despise each other."

"Does he know Alexei?"

Alexei looked up at the mention of his name. I smiled to reassure him, and he grinned and kept eating his ice.

"Jim knows him, yes. In fact, he introduced us." Murray nodded at his friend. _"Ona sprashivayet o tolstom Rambo."_

Alexei's smile faded and he muttered something that made Murray shrug.

"What did he say?"

"A curse word. Naughty language. They don't really get along. But Jim did save his life. _Tolstyy Rambo spas tebya._ "

 _"Spas, da,"_ Alexei agreed solemnly, nodding.

"What happened?" I asked.

Murray set aside his finished ice and took a deep breath. "We were at a fair. Jim and Joyce were looking for their kids. The mayor had made a call to some Russian henchmen - the same ones who had been holding Alexei hostage - and one tried to shoot Alexei. Jim saw him before he could take his gun out, tackled the bastard, and beat the hell out of him."

My jaw dropped. "Holy shit."

"Yeah. Then we were able to get to the lab and...end the disastrous experiment. The mayor was arrested after the Army arrived..."

"What?"

"It's a whole story, okay? They were going to arrest Alexei but Jim, Joyce, and I vouched for him. The kids did too."

"Wait, children were there?"

Murray rolled his eyes. "Little smarmy bastards. Yes, and they loved Alexei. He was released to my custody, and now, we have to get all kinds of paperwork together so he can stay."

I shook my head in disbelief. Alexei had almost been _murdered_. His time at my house was probably the most peaceful he'd had in years. "Is he still in danger?"

"Not as long as he stays in America."

Alexei tilted his head back and slurped at the remains of his Italian ice.

I watched him and bit back a smile. "How can I help?"

####

Later, Murray cooked the steaks on the grill while I continued to go over the Russian to English book with Alexei. He was obviously extremely intelligent, and eager to learn, but learning a new language would take time.

Luckily, he was patient, with himself and with me. 

I'd point out various objects, he'd name them in Russian, and I'd translate to English. Murray helped out but mostly watched us with a funny little grin.

Maybe he was happy to see me helping his friend, or just being social. After the divorce Lisa had to drag me out to go to the movies, go dancing, anything. I was thrilled to be liberated, but I was alone. 

Now there was Murray, and Alexei.

_But for how long?_

Murray mentioned wanting to stay close to Hawkins, Indiana. Was Alexei going to live with him?

_Where else would he stay?_

But that wasn't up to me, was it? And why did it bother me?

 _"Ochki,"_ Alexei said, pointing to his glasses. 

"Glasses," I responded, and he repeated the word, slowly. I looked at his lips, unable to help myself. They were a bit red from the cherry ice. 

"Glass-eez?" 

I nodded and gave him a thumbs up. 

He grinned, and my heart beat just a little bit faster. 

_Shit._ Lisa was right - I needed to get out of the house. My body was reacting to this near-stranger like we were on a date. Ridiculous.

Alexei put his hand out, then pointed to it. _"Ruka"._

Without thinking, I put my hand under his, lacing our fingers together. He looked at our joined hands in shock.

"Um." I cleared my throat. "H-hand. Hand."

"Hah-nd," Alexei murmured.

I nodded and squeezed his hand, which made him gasp a little.

 _Oh, shit._ I let his hand go and hastily stood up. "Uh, I'll get the vegetables ready," I muttered, and hurried inside. 

Lisa was definitely right. I'd just become incredibly aroused just by holding a man's hand. Just a few seconds ago I was ready to climb into Alexei's lap and kiss him senseless. Run my hands through that curly hair...

_You just met him. You're lonely, that's all. Stop this now before you embarrass yourself...and him._

I was going to call Steve tonight. After dinner.

I needed a date.

####

Dinner was delicious, and thankfully not too awkward. Murray and I laughed over family memories, and he translated to Alexei, who seemed delighted.

Murray found my collection of Looney Tunes tapes that I'd borrowed from the youth center ages ago, and Alexei happily watched them while eating another Italian ice. 

"I've got this" Murray insisted when I tried to clean up our plates. "Now go away. I'm expecting a call."

"You gave out my number?"

"I figured you'll need to change it anyway. You've had it for too long. What if Graham starts harrasing you?"

"He doesn't want anything to do with me. Plus, he knows where I live."

"Don't remind me," Murray groaned. "Maybe you should relocate too."

"No way. This is my home."

"Suit yourself."

"On that subject, I need to make a call, but I'll be quick."

Murray scoffed. "To who?"

"A friend. His name is Steve."

"Steve?" Murray raised an eyebrow. "I know a Steve. Cocky snot nosed teenager."

"Well, this is a different Steve."

"Let's hope so." Murray stacked the plates in the sink and gave me a funny look. "Why are you calling this guy out of the blue?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. Losing my temper was not an option. "Not that it's any of your concern, but I met him at the youth center, he's nice...I need to get out."

"Uh huh."

"I do! Nothing wrong with going on a date."

"Yup."

I rolled my eyes. "You're just dying to say something, aren't you?"

Instead of answering me, Murray glanced at Alexei and frowned. "Are you sure you want to call this guy, Sarah?"

I ignored him and went to the living room to grab the phone number. Alexei was jotting something down in the notepad, and nearly jumped when I got close.

"Sorry," I muttered, and picked up the scrap of paper with Steve's phone number. Alexei gave me a small smile, but I turned around and headed into the kitchen to make my call.

####

__  
**Friday, Back to the Future, 7:00 showing. Sunside Mall. Ice cream after?**  


I studied the note and put it in my pocket. It was done. Steve seemed sweet, a really friendly guy. It would be good to get out.

"So you have a date?" Murray asked carefully.

"Yup."

"Okay."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What, do you not approve?"

Murray shrugged. 

Alexei looked up and asked him something, and when Murray replied, Alexei's face fell. He looked at me, nodded, then turned back to his cartoons.

_He's like a big kid. Innocent._

_And brilliant._

_Handsome..._

"I'm going to bed," I announced, and headed toward the stairs, determined not to look back.


	5. Back in Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted an incorrect version last night, here's the corrected one. Thanks for reading!

### Back in Time ###

"Does your stupidity hurt you? Does it cause you physical pain? Because it is causing _me_ physical pain!"

I walked past Murray, yawning and rubbing my eyes. It was 8:00 am. Early, but he'd already been on the phone for about an hour. 

I looked upstairs while I poured myself a cup of coffee, but Alexei's door was shut. Maybe he was still sleeping.

I headed outside to sit on my back porch. Taking some time off volunteering seemed like a good idea at first. I loved my work, but I had wanted some time to myself. My anniversary always made me sad, even though I wanted nothing to do with Graham anymore.

It was a strange thing, to mourn something you didn't actually miss.

A movement caught my eye, and I saw Alexei pacing in the backyard, holding a book and mumbling to himself. The guidebook, no doubt.

I smiled, settling back in my chair to watch him. He was so fascinating. I would have been terrified out of my mind if I had gone through only a fraction of what he's been through, but he was so...joyful. Maybe it was relief in surviving everything that had happened to him. 

He deserved happiness, and peace.

_I hope you find it._

I closed my eyes, enjoying the breeze, picking up snippets of his speech.

_"Blagodaryu vas...theenk you. Thank you. Ya...I am...blagodaren...greet-full..."_

Before I knew it, I was dozing, but when I opened my eyes, Alexei was sitting in one of the chairs, his guidebook resting on his stomach. He was fast asleep.

I watched him, mesmerized by the slow rise and fall of his chest. A gentle breeze tousled his hair, and he sighed in his sleep.

_You really are beautiful._

The peaceful scene was interrupted by Murray stomping outside, grumbling to himself. "Complete idiots. It's terrifying to know that these people are in charge of anything. I'd be shocked to find out if they know how to dress themselves!"

Alexei woke, blinking in the sunlight. _"Lyudi idioty?",_ he mumbled.

 _"Da, idioty,"_ Murray nodded. He slumped into a chair and took a deep breath. "I need more time."

"You're going to explode." I sat up, grabbing my now cold coffee. "Maybe you need a break?"

Murray snorted. "Not possible. He can't afford me taking a break." Murray glanced at Alexei, who was looking through the guidebook again. 

"Wait." A chill ran through me. "You sound like there's a countdown or something."

Murray sighed, looking exhausted. "He's seen as an enemy of the state, Sarah. The government isn't just going to make him a citizen as a thank you for everything he did in Hawkins. I have to help convince the powers that be that Alexei will be a loyal U.S. citizen, that he won't act as a Russian plant sent here to infiltrate our country's scientific research." Murray closed his eyes. "And if I can't...they send him back to Russia, and they'll..." He shook his head, unable to continue.

"Did they...did they give you a deadline?"

Murray opened his eyes, looking devastated. "I don't have a date. But they made it clear he doesn't have long. Which means I don't have long to get this citizenship process rolling."

I looked down at my coffee mug, clenching my jaw. "Is there anything I can do?"

Murray genuinely smiled. "You're doing so much already. Really, Sarah. I truly am indebted to you."

I smiled. "Anything for my favorite cousin."

"Your only cousin."

"Still." I stood up. "Okay. Here's the plan. You're waiting to hear back from them, right? So how about I nuke my coffee, fully wake up and we plan a day out?"

Murray snorted. "Since when do you have a social life?"

"Ha." It was true - I was very much a homebody, to the point of being called a hermit. I only ever went out with Lisa, and even that took a lot of effort. Going out with Steve was going to be a huge step.

In the meantime, Murray was driving himself crazy, and if Alexei was going to become a U.S. citizen, he had to learn about American life.

"We're going out," I informed Murray, and went into the house to reheat my coffee.

####

Murray was dead against going to the mall, saying they'd been traumatized by the Starcourt Mall in Hawkins. They'd already been to the local Kmart, so I suggested the movies.

"Mindless garbage? No thank you." Murray rolled his eyes. "Take Alexei. Leave me out if it."

"Uh, we don't speak the same language. How is that going to work?"

Murray snorted. "Fine. I'll be the designated third wheel."

"What? That doesn't make sense, you don't..."

"Oh hush." Murray spread out the movie section of the newspaper over the kitchen table and waved his hand at it dismissively. "Pick one."

"Um..." I looked at Alexei, who was eyeing the newspaper with interest. I gestured for him to come closer. "Let's let Alexei pick."

Murray translated, and Alexei looked at me with surprise, then grinned. He studied the posters, trailing his finger over the advertisements, then tapped the picture of Back to the Future. 

"Interesting." Murray raised his eyebrows. "Isn't that what you're seeing on your date?"

I shrugged. "I don't mind."

"What if you end up hating it? You'll just have to sit through it again."

"Alexei gets to pick," I said firmly. "The next showing is at 3:00. We'll get dinner afterwards."

####

I had a lot of cherished memories from volunteering. The look in a child's eyes when they were truly having fun, the light in their eyes...it was magical.

I saw that same light in Alexei's eyes when we went to the theater.

Murray lectured me on the addictive substances in popcorn and soda, but I caught him sneaking a few handfuls from Alexei's bag during the previews. We sat in the back so Murray could whisper translations to Alexei without disturbing anyone, and Alexei sat between me and Murray. 

The movie was fantastic. It was hilarious, fun, even a little heartbreaking. What was even better was watching Alexei's reactions to it.

He watched in utter joy as Marty skateboarded around town, winced when Biff bullied George McFly, and actually cheered when Marty escaped from Biff and his cronies. I heard him whisper something about _"Tolstyy Rambo"_ to Murray when Biff crashed into the manure truck, and they both chuckled.

The best part, though, was during the school dance. Marty began actually fading, whimpering for George to get the courage to kiss Lorraine. Alexei sat forward, his eyes wide, and gave a tiny gasp when Marty began to collapse.

Then his parents kissed, the entire audience cheered, and Alexei had the biggest smile on his face. I grinned at him, and he turned to me, his eyes shining with delight. We sat there smiling at each other like idiots for the longest time.

Marty's crazed rock performance got our attention, and we sat back and enjoyed the rest of the movie. When the Delorean rushed toward the screen, everyone cheered, including Alexei and me.

"Okay, that wasn't too horrifying," Murray conceded as we left. "Now, let's get some actual food. I don't even want to think about the chemicals we all ingested just now. Not to mention the subliminal crap they undoubtedly filtered in every other scene."

####

We found a place for dinner that Murray declared as "the least likely to poison us", a local Mediterranean restaurant next to a Baskin Robbins.

Alexei was a bit overwhelmed by the menu, but Murray helped him and ended up ordering for him. The food was great, but Murray seemed distracted until I brought up taking the kids to see The Neverending Story.

"Oh. God. No." Murray held his head and groaned. "That stupid song..."

"You've actually seen it?" 

"No, thank God. But when we were at the lab, Alexei was busy distracting the guards. One of the kids, an annoying little dweeb, had to call his girlfriend to get a code. They insisted on singing that moronic song to each other!"

I shook my head. "I have no idea what you just said."

"Consider yourself lucky." Murray finished his wine. "God, I hate children."

"Kids are great, you're just antisocial."

"You haven't met these kids. Bunch of weird brats."

I smirked. "But they liked Alexei?"

Murray rolled his eyes. "They adored him. Once they figured out he was there to help, they asked him all sorts of questions and of course I got stuck translating their inane crap!"

Alexei looked at us inquisitively and Murray muttered something to him, which made Alexei grin and say something excitedly. 

"Ugh. He said they were wonderful children, which is incorrect, by the way. He was happy to talk to young people about his life in Russia."

"Hmm." I sipped my water, thinking. I wondered if a visit to the youth center might be good for Alexei. Plus he could see what I do nearly every day.

_And why would he care? You're a stranger to him._

"'Bald eagle', ha ha," Murray muttered. "Bunch of weird brats."

####

After dinner, Murray headed to the payphone outside, wanting to check in with Jim and see if he'd heard anything on his end about talking to Dr. Owens. Alexei and I got a couple of ice cream cones while we waited.

Alexei stared in amazement at the menu, then pointed at a picture of chocolate and vanilla swirl cone. I ordered one for myself as well and we walked a bit, enjoying our dessert. 

I figured we could continue our mini lessons, and pointed at our ice cream cones. "Ice cream."

 _"Morozhenoye,"_ he responded, and grinned. 

"Mor-...um, yeah."

Alexei ran his tongue along his ice cream, and I quickly looked away, feeling my face grow hot.

_Don't be so perverted. He's just a sweet guy, enjoying ice cream._

"...and call me back as soon as you can. Time is of the essence." Murray hung up the pay phone and sighed. "He wasn't home. Not surprising, he's a busy man lately. The press loves a hero. Even a moronic one."

####

There weren't any messages when we got back, but Murray was definitely calmer than he was this morning.

"Tomorrow I aim to finish your new security system," he announced.

I saluted him. "You're the boss, applesauce."

Murray scoffed. "What are you, eight years old?"

"You're supposed to say, 'Don't get wise, bubble-eyes'."

Murray chuckled. "We used to drive our parents crazy with that. I can't believe you remember."

"Of course I do." I looked over to see Alexei picked up the notepad in the living room and began writing furiously. "Do you know what he's writing? Is it a journal?"

Murray shrugged. "I'll ask him. _Ty dnevnik vedesh'?_ "

Alexei murmured something in response, then glanced at me and gave me a little smile.

"He says he's writing down things he wants to translate to English later."

"You mean like 'You're the boss, applesauce'?"

"No, he said... _lichnye_. Personal, private things. Huh. Well, whatever. Let's get some sleep."


	6. Real American

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I deleted and reentered Chapter 5, I deleted some comments, and I am so sorry. I am an idiot, and I will be more careful in the future! I truly cherish every comment - thank you so so much for reading!

### Real American ###

The next morning, I got up early and left a note for Murray before heading to the grocery store. It was a big trip, and when I got back he was waiting on the porch with his arms crossed. Alexei came out soon after, visibly suppressing a yawn.

"You should have taken us with you," Murray admonished me as they hurried to help with the bags. 

I laughed. "C'mon, I'm not completely helpless."

"Look at all of these bags and then try to convince me that you were going to haul them in yourself! Ridiculous." Murray huffed as we went inside. "By the way, someone called for you. She left a message."

I figured it was Lisa, and after we got everything in and squared away I checked my machine and sure enough, it was her.

"Hey lady! So, I know you're off, but I wanted to give you a call. First, Steve's here, ahem! In case you wanted to drop by...and the kids miss you, of course...but I know this is a hard time for you, so give me a call, okay? Love ya!"

"Good lord," Murray snorted as he walked by, holding an armful of wires. "Like nails on a chalkboard."

"That's my friend, stop being a jerk."

"Ha." Murray set the wires on a nearby table. "She seems very interested in this Steve character."

I shrugged. "He's a nice guy."

"Mmhmm."

"What do you have against me going out with him? You've never met him."

Murray sighed dramatically, taking out a tape measure. "You are clearly not interested in him. Your body language, your tone...it's very telling."

"So, I should just stay home then? Be alone?"

"I'm not taking you what to do." Murray measured the front door and frowned at it. "I just don't want you to jump into anything again. Plus..."

"Yeah?"

He snapped the measuring tape back into its container. "I swear, it's like a curse, seeing what I see. People have a limited time in this planet, and they dance around, distracting themselves with bullshit, telling themselves lies."

I bit back a groan. Murray loved to talk in generalizations when he was particularly annoyed. "Please explain what the hell you're talking about."

"I'm talking about time!" Murray glared at me. "I have a friend whose life literally depends on me, he's running out of time, and you...you stay in the past."

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me? I'm the one who asked Graham for a divorce, plus I changed my name back..."

"No! I mean when we were kids, you never stood up for yourself. You let yourself get teased, pressured into doing things, and lost yourself in the process. Well, forgive me for saying something! You're still young, Sarah. Do you understand? I see someone who is running out of time, and I see someone else who thinks she's on borrowed time as well!" Murray stepped forward, his eyes wide. "Don't do what other people tell you. For God's sake. Don't date people you're not interested in, don't wallow around your empty house just because you made a bad mistake years ago. Life is short, and it is precious, and I won't see the only family member who ever gave a damn about me wasting away because she thinks she deserves to be unhappy!" He tossed the measuring tape on the couch and stormed outside, leaving me staring after him in shock.

Alexei stepped out of the kitchen, watching me with wide eyes. He looked back at Murray, who was outside smoking and pacing, then glanced at me. Before I could say anything, Alexei ran upstairs to his guest room.

"Great," I muttered. Not that I had expected him to do anything, but...

Alexei came back downstairs, hurriedly flipping through his guidebook. He muttered to himself, then found a page and cleared his throat. "Erm. Ah. _Ty v poryadke_...or...y-you...ookeh?"

My eyes stung and I covered my face with my hands. _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry..._

"Oh. Ah. _Ya proshu proshcheniya_ ..." I heard him quickly flip pages again. "I...s-so...sore...sore-rry."

I took a deep breath, and before I could question it, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him.

Alexei froze, then carefully placed the guidebook on the couch and placed his hands on my shoulders in a tentative hug. _"Ya khochu chtoby ty byla schastliva,"_ he murmured softly.

 _You don't know him_ , I reminded myself. _You're just upset that every word that Murray said was true._

"I'm fine," I mumbled, stepped back. "Thank you."

 _"Da?"_ he asked gently, nodding.

"Yes," I replied, and nodded. I patted his arm and went outside. 

Murray was standing and watching. He looked exhausted. "Sarah..."

"You're right," I told him. "I'm no good with people. Reading them, I mean. Maybe I'm too trusting, I don't know...but the night you came by I was sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I don't miss Graham. I just... I have to try to move on. Steve's a nice guy. Lisa knows him better than I do, but yeah, he's a good guy. Maybe nothing will come of it, but in the meantime...I have to try. Right?"

Murray smiled. "Right. I worry about you, though."

"I know." I gave him a pat on the shoulder, knowing if I hugged him he'd just get overwhelmed. "We're good, right?"

"I'll feel better when I get your security system up to date." Murray finished his cigarette and stomped it into the ground. "Sorry. Should pick that up."

"You should stop smoking. It's a horrible habit."

"After I finish things up for Alexei, I'll try to quit. Again."

I smiled. "You'll do it. You'll get him taken care of, I know it."

Murray grunted and looked back into the living room, where Alexei was flipping through his guidebook. "I have to."

"Believe in yourself, Murray Bauman."

He smirked. "You're the boss, applesauce."

I grinned. "Don't get wise, bubble eyes."

####

By late afternoon, Murray was mostly finished with my new security system, thanks to a lot of help from Alexei. I'd called Lisa back and thanked her for calling, letting her know I was okay. She teased me about Steve, saying he looked extra cute today, and that he brought his friend Ryan to help with setting up new arcade games at the youth center. According to Lisa, Ryan was very cute too, and she thought we could double date later on.

I was more interested in learning more about how the games were going - the kids were excited, which was great, and Ryan had mentioned the possibility of starting a technology club for the kids.

My first thought was that Alexei could help with that, and nearly smacked my forehead. I had to stop thinking about incorporating him into every day life here. Alexei was Murray's focus, not mine.

_Then why do you keep thinking about him?_

He was a sweet guy, very caring. Brilliant. Handsome. Fun. He was my cousin's closest friend, probably ever, and he was facing a huge ordeal with trying to become a citizen. 

Murray was right. I was distracting myself from my own life by focusing on Alexei's.

####

After dinner, Murray made another call to Jim, and this time he got through. He spoke excitedly into the phone, and also spoke to a woman named Joyce for a while. Not wanting to eavesdrop, I went into the living room, where Alexei was flipping through the channels in fascination.

He found a wrestling show, which I didn't watch, but I was aware of since so many of the kids at the center were fans. 

A man stood in the center of the ring, waving a Soviet flag. Alexei's eyes grew wide, and the man took the microphone and began singing. According to the announcer, it was the Russian national anthem.

Alexei tensed. His hands gripped the side of his chair, but then relaxed a bit, sitting forward. I realized he'd been about to stand. 

As the man sang, the audience booed, made angry gestures, even threw things at him. This man was playing a character, and getting this kind of hatred. Sure, he was playing a villian, but there was no mistaking the fact that the crowd saw him paying tribute to the Soviet Union, and hated him for it.

 _"Moguchaia volia, velikaia slava...Tvoio dostoianie na vse vremena..."_ Alexei sang softly under his breath, staring at the screen. 

What was going to happen to Alexei if Murray wasn't there to help him? He might get harrased about his accent, and his lack of fluency in English. 

Alexei sighed, and before I could question it, I reached over and took his hand. He looked at me in surprise, but gently squeezed my hand and held it.

Hulk Hogan came out, waving an American flag, and we watched as the audience cheered.


	7. Fortress Around Your Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am blown away by your comments... I treasure all of them. You are all so amazingly generous. Thank you for reading!

### Fortress Around Your Heart ###

"Dr. Owens won't talk to me directly, and his flunkies are impossible idiots...wait, he's here in California? Yes, that's where I am...I told you! My cousin lives here, she's letting us stay with her. Of course Alexei's with me. We drove here. Jim, what on earth makes you think I'd fly anywhere right now? Or ever? Can you...fine, fine, call him and call me back." Murray hung up and exhaled. "Finally, progress." He paused, then scoffed. "You two are watching wrestling?"

"Um." I cleared my throat. "Yeah."

"Good God." Murray snorted and began pacing. "C'mon, Jim..."

I kept holding onto Alexei's hand, watching as the wrestling crowd chanted "USA!" over and over. I glanced over at Alexei, who was utterly fascinated.

I knew I should let go of his hand, but...I couldn't. It was selfish of me, and wrong. I hadn't touched someone who wasn't a friend or family member in years. 

But Alexei was my friend... right?

He ran his thumb around my knuckles and I shivered. That shouldn't feel so good.

The phone rang, and we both jumped.

"Thank God. Hello? Jim, yes, good. What did you find out? Okay...wait. That doesn't help me if he wants to see you too! I don't...wait, are you serious? Here?"

The Russian wrestler jeered at the crowd, and Alexei squeezed my hand.

"Um." I sat forward and let go of Alexei's hand. "We should...let's watch something else." I grabbed the remote and began flipping channels, feeling Alexei's gaze on me.

_You don't understand. It's not fair to you, I'm just... pathetic._

I gave up and dropped the remote on the table. This was ridiculous. I was a complete wreck. Alexei wanted to be my friend and show me affection, but I couldn't handle it. My heart was still pounding from us holding hands. I couldn't even hold his hand without acting like a nervous teenager on a date with her crush.

How would I be able to go on a real date with Steve on Friday, if I couldn't even handle sitting next to Alexei without getting flustered?

Alexei leaned forward, looking directly at me. His eyes were dark, sad... inquisitive.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, and looked away.

"Hello! Sarah! I am talking to you!"

I jumped up and glared at Murray. "What?"

He waved his hand excitedly. "I need a hotel room."

"A hotel room? What for?"

"Remember how I told you about Dr. Owens, the one who can best help with making Alexei a citizen? He's here in California on a, uh, business trip, and he wants to meet with all of us to...discuss things. Jim and Joyce are flying out here, and we need hotel names, please, so these two can get here and get all of this going!"

"Wait, wait." I hurried over to Murray, shaking my head. "No hotel. Tell your friends - Jim, was it, and Joyce? Tell them they can stay here."

Murray frowned. "You can't be serious. You don't even know them..."

"But you do. And you vouch for them, right? There's another guest room, if they don't mind sharing."

"Sarah," Murray said softly. "You don't have to..."

"I want to. Having them stay here would make it easier to figure out how to work things out for Alexei, right?"

Murray closed his eyes and nodded. "You're sure? You're letting strangers into your house."

"Didn't you say that Jim is a cop? Plus you know them well, and I just got a ton of food, and it'd be for what, a few days? We'll make it work." I crossed my arms. "Tell them. If it will help get things started for Alexei, I want to do it."

"Yeah..." Murray took a deep breath. "I'll run it by them. Thank you, thank you."

"Don't mention it." I smiled. "I've got this huge house, might as well have some company." I looked upstairs, thinking of what I should get. Maybe some more towels...extra bedsheets. I headed upstairs to take a look.

Graham hadn't been too interested in finding a house, but had wanted it to be somewhat secluded - he hated the idea of sharing land with neighbors. I wanted enough space for kids and guests. We entertained a lot, hosting parties for Graham's friends and colleagues, but now I had three guestrooms and a huge master bedroom, all empty except for me.

As soon as we moved in, I had furnished the rooms, getting curtains, beds, everything. Our parents visited, but they were mostly uninhabited. I had wanted to make a home. 

I wanted a family.

"We don't have time for children right now," Graham would always tell me, but when I told him that I did have time, and that I wanted this house so we could start a family, he'd just change the subject or leave the room.

There was an extra guestroom down the hall and around the corner from the one Murray was staying in. Jim and Joyce would have a little privacy, and their own bathroom. The bed hadn't been used in years, but I was definitely going to clean the sheets before they came. Plus the bathroom needed towels, and soap. I'd stop by the store tomorrow. 

I headed downstairs to make a list. Murray was nodding at whatever Jim was saying, then muttered something to Alexei, who was standing nearby. Whatever he said made Alexei smile. 

I ignored the strange pang in my chest and picked up the notepad in the living room, and saw that Alexei had written a few words in English. 

**Please. Grateful. Thank you. Home.**

**Kind. Patient. Beautiful.**

**Sarah.**

"What's going on over there?" Murray shouted, making me jump and nearly drop the notepad. "I hear shouting. Children... Children! Hello! I am... Hello, Joyce. What? Why? I can...fine, fine, let me get her. Sarah!"

"I'm here!" I answered shakily, setting the notepad on the table and hurried over. "What's going on?"

"Joyce wants to talk to you," Murray explained, smiling sardonically. 

"Um, sure." I stepped forward to take the phone. Alexei was staring at me, and I turned away, clutching the phone tight. "Hello?"

"I did not _grab the phone out of your hand_ , Jim, for God's sake...sorry...hello, is this Sarah? This is Joyce Byers."

I smiled. "Hello, Joyce. I hear you're going to come here to help Alexei?"

"Yes, and I wanted to make sure it was okay to stay there with you? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely! Any friend of Murray's is welcome."

"They are not my friends!" Murray yelled, and I rolled my eyes.

"That's so generous of you," Joyce said. "Thank you, Sarah. We're going to try to fly out Wednesday. Can we take you out for dinner as a thank you, or something?"

"Oh, that's sweet, but there's no need, there's plenty of food here, plenty of room..."

"Ask her if they've had sex yet," Murray demanded. "I will not put up with two cases of voluntary blindness and idiocy!"

My jaw dropped, and Joyce huffed. "I heard that, Murray!"

"I...oh my god, I'm so sorry. My cousin is...well, he's an ass sometimes!" I glared at him. "I am so, so sorry..."

"Forget it, he's...ugh. But thank you, we really do appreciate it. We want to help Alexei, he really helped all of us."

I smiled, feeling myself blush for some reason. "I want to help him too."

"Tell Smirnoff we're on our way!" A man shouted in the background, and Joyce huffed again.

"Stop calling him that! Sarah, thank you again. We'll call later with flight information, and we'll figure out a plan?"

"Sounds great."

####

**Towels, sheets, soap, extra snacks? Drinks, napkins...**

**_"Kind. Patient. Beautiful._ **

**_Sarah."_ **

I set my pen down and took a deep breath. 

He was...

No. He was just being polite. Maybe he was just overwhelmed with everything going on, and I was displacement, and...

_He likes you._

"That's ridiculous," I muttered to myself, and turned on my side, clutching at my sheets. I couldn't sleep.

_Why would he like me? He doesn't. He's just being... generous._

"You're beautiful, inside and out," Lisa would tell me, but it wasn't true. Men didn't stop in their tracks to look at me the way they looked at Lisa, or other truly beautiful women. Graham once said I was a "solid six, sometimes a seven".

My hair was coarse and black - pure Bauman genes. I was average height, average build...average. 

Alexei wasn't average. He was beautiful. He had a charisma that I'd never possess, intelligence I'd never have. 

He was amazing. He deserved someone just as amazing. 

My hand hit something under my pillow. I grabbed it and pulled out the English to Russian guidebook that Murray had gotten me. 

I began to read from it, whispering words to myself. "Handsome... _krasivyy_. Intelligent... _umnyy_."

When I woke the next morning, I saw that I'd written something before I'd gone to sleep. The note was next to my pillow, on top of the guidebook. 

I'd written five words.

**Brilliant. Caring. Fascinating.**

**Beautiful.**

**Alexei.**


	8. Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You?

### Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You? ###

"It's a coffee shop," Murray grumbled, taking another puff on his cigarette and exhaling slowly. "Who cares?" 

I waved a hand around and coughed. "That went right into my face! And they're growing, that's the point. They've already got a few stores in Seattle."

"It's a stupid name. What does coffee have to do with a Moby Dick character?"

"I don't know, but I bought more stock and you should too. Have some faith."

Murray rolled his eyes. "I'll think about it."

"Great." I sipped my coffee and sat back in my chair. "I'm heading to the store today to get things before Jim and Joyce arrive. Do you need anything?"

"No, but take Alexei with you."

I tensed. "What? No!"

"I _need_ silence!" Murray shouted. "I can't think. If he's not watching TV, he's practicing English and it is tedious. Take him shopping. He'll love it."

"Murray, he does not speak English. How the hell would it work, having him with me?"

"For God's sake!" Murray took a long drag on his cigarette and closed his eyes. "If Jim and Joyce could get him around while he was in handcuffs, you can escort him to a store!"

"Handcuffs?" The visual made my skin feel hot, and I shook my head. "I can't take him with me. Just tell him to be quiet."

"He needs to get out. I need to stay in." Murray looked at me and smirked. "Easy solution."

I sighed heavily and sank back into my chair. "Talk to him before we go. Let him know it'll be a quick trip, and to stay close to me."

Murray chuckled darkly. "Oh, I don't need to tell him that last part, dear cousin."

"Whatever, weirdo," I mumbled, getting up. I loved my cousin, and would defend him with my dying breath, but sometimes the man just made no sense.

####

Twenty minutes later, I sat in my car, watching as Alexei buckled himself in. "Ready?" I asked, giving him a thumbs up.

He grinned and nodded, giving me a thumbs up in return. 

I smiled, and started the car. One of my mix tapes was still in the cassette player, and Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" started playing. It seemed appropriate - my life was certainly crazy lately. 

I didn't want to be without Alexei's only translator for long. He had brought his guidebook, but there was no way it would work as well as having someone fluent in both Russian and English around. 

He'd already been to Kmart. Going to different stores in the mall would be too crazy, but I could visit a department store to get what I needed. 

JC Penney's wasn't too busy, as it was a Tuesday afternoon, but it was still summer, so there were plenty of kids wandering around. I didn't see any that I recognized from the youth center, as most of these kids were older teenagers.

When we walked in, Alexei looked around in amazement at the displays. He turned away from me, looking at the colorful array of summer clothes, and my heart gripped with fear.

"Hey...stay close, okay? Don't want you to get lost." I took his hand and smiled at him. Maybe it was stupid, speaking English that he didn't understand, but he could understand my tone and gestures.

He returned my smile and squeezed my hand, and I ignored the way my pulse jumped and gently guided him to housewares. 

We got to the towel section, and Alexei shook his head in disbelief. 

"A lot to choose from, right? I know." Not letting go of his hand, I moved down the aisle. "I don't really have a color scheme at home, as you know...maybe I should just get a neutral color."

_Stop babbling, you idiot! He has no idea what you're saying._

I ran my free hand along a light grey towel. "That's not bad...here." I took his hand and put it on the towel. "Yeah?"

Alexei smiled at me. "Yeh. _Da._ "

"Great!" I let go of his hand to pick up four towels, and he shook his head and took them from me. "Oh, thank you."

He smiled and nodded. _"Ya khochu pomoch."_

I picked up some smaller hand towels and washcloths, and led him to the toiletries section. We set the towels down on a nearby display and smelled the soaps. One of us would pick one out, smell it, then hand it to the other person to get their reaction.

It didn't take long before we found ones that were truly horrid, and we were snickering over each other's looks of disgust. Alexei found a "Summer Rain" bar of soap that smelled like strong, cheap perfume, and I found "Enchanted Dreams", which reeked of mothballs and baby powder. I held it to Alexei's nose, grinning evilly. He gagged and tried to push my hand away, but I waved it in front of his face, teasing him.

"C'mon! You know you love it!" I teased as he batted playfully at my hand.

 _"Nyet, nyet, mne ne nravitsya!"_ Alexei giggled and shook his head. _"Stohp! Stohp!"_ He managed to take the soap from me, setting it high atop the display and out of my reach. _"Bol'she ne nado!"_

For some reason I found this to be hilarious and nearly doubled over with laughter. "You...hate... enchanted...dreams!" I gasped, and laughed harder. 

Alexei laughed joyfully, gently pulling me up. We staggered a bit and nearly crashed into the lotion display. 

That got us some disapproving looks from the nearby store employees. 

"Uh oh," I whispered, and bit my lip. "I think we're in trouble."

Alexei looked down at me, still breathing hard. His gaze settled, and his smile faded. He was still holding my shoulders, and he gently squeezed them.

I inhaled sharply and stepped back. "I, um. We should. We do need to buy soap."

Alexei's face fell, but he nodded and picked up a bar, and I did the same. It didn't take us long to find something that would actually work. Hopefully Joyce and Jim liked orange blossom and cedarwood.

After we purchased our things, Alexei took the bag and reached for my hand. I didn't question it or hesitate - I took his hand in mine, and we walked out together.

####

On the way home, I realized that I needed gas, so I pulled into a 7/11. Alexei was very excited when he saw the logo, and pointed at it.

"Oh yeah, Slurpees, right? Cherry. I think I'll get one too." I took his hand and we walked up to the store.

Once inside, Alexei made a beeline toward the Slurpee machine, practically dragging me. I laughed and let him pour us two extra large cherry slurpees, then pointed at the sign with a cartoon cherry on it. "Cherry."

 _"Vishnya",_ he replied with a grin. 

"Vish-na. Vish-nu. Vish...ugh." I smacked my forehead. "I'm no good with Russian, am I?"

Alexei frowned and pulled my hand away. _"Ne bey sebya. Pozhaluysta."_

I smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry. I'm a total mess. You're very patient." Before I could stop myself, I laced our fingers together. 

Alexei took a deep breath, then placed his other hand over mine, caressing it. 

"You're...kind to me," I whispered, and stepped closer. "Why are you so kind to me?" I whispered. "What do you see?"

He gripped my hand and stepped even closer, gazing down at me. _"Yesli by ty tol'ko znala, kak ya k tebe otnoshus',"_ he murmured. _"Ya znayu, chto my vstretilis' sovsem nedavno..."_

"Miss Sarah?"

I turned and saw Katie Hammond and Tanya Carlson, two preteens who frequented the youth center. They were holding their own Slurpees and staring at me with inquisitive gazes and wry smiles.

"Oh...girls! Hello!" I stepped back from Alexei and rubbed my hands together, feeling my face burn. "How's your summer?"

"It's good. We're going to the beach a lot." Katie eyed Alexei. "Um...how's yours?"

"Very good. Busy." I cleared my throat. "My cousin's visiting, and this is his friend, Alexei. He's from Russia."

Their eyes grew wide. "Whoa, like Russia-Russia?" Katie asked excitedly. "That's so cool!" 

She nudged Tanya, who grinned and looked at Alexei. _"Privet. Dobro pozhalovat' v Ameriku."_

Alexei's face lit up and I stared at Tanya in shock. "Oh my gosh, you speak Russian! That's amazing!"

Tanya shrugged. "I only know, like, a few phrases. Dad says being multilingual looks good on college applications, so I'm learning Russian, Italian, French, and Spanish. It's super hard but it's fun." 

"That's amazing! What did you say?"

"I said hello and welcomed him to America. Um..." Tanya looked at Alexei again. _"Vy govorite po angliyski?_

Alexei shook his head. _"Nyet, no ya by khotel yego vyuchit."_ He smiled at me. _"Ona khoroshiy uchitel._ "

"I'll bet," Tanya muttered, and giggled.

"What did he say?" I asked, glancing at Alexei. 

"Oh, I asked him if he spoke English, and he said no, but he wanted to learn. Then he said you were a good teacher." Tanya bit her lip. 

"Well, that's sweet." I smiled at Alexei, then inwardly cringed when I heard the girls giggle. "Well. I, um, I'm not sure when I'll be back at the center, but it won't be too long."

"Cool, we miss you. But you should get back to, um, your thing." Katie giggled and Tanya nudged her. "Um, we have to go."

"Stay safe, girls!" I watched them leave, collapsing against each other in laughter. I heard them say "so cute" and "totally dating", and sighed. Once kids got a hold of a rumor, it was over. 

"Let's get going," I muttered, and we grabbed our drinks and headed to the register.

####

"Enjoy your trip?" Murray asked loftily when we returned.

"We got towels. And soap." I set my bags on the kitchen table. "And Slurpees. Didn't get one for you, sorry."

Murray narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I shrugged. "Everything's fine."

He snorted. "You're a bad liar."

"Yeah, well, I suck at everything, don't I?" I picked the bag back up and headed upstairs, walking past a bewildered looking Alexei.

 _It's stupid,_ I told myself as I tore off the price tags from the towels. _He's just...nice. And the girls were being silly. Relax. It all means nothing._

I shoved the towels into the washer and headed into the guest bathroom, setting the soap on the counter. It smelled amazing. Much better than some of those weird soaps Alexei and I found. 

_I love his laugh. His smile. I love his joy. I wish I had that. I wish I could stop hating myself for getting in a shitty marriage and move on._

"Serrah?"

I turned to see Alexei, holding his guidebook and looking nervous. I smiled, or tried to. "Hey."

"H-hey." He looked at his book. "Er. I... have...had. Good time. Foon."

I beamed. "Fun?"

He grinned. " _Da._ Yes. F-fun."

"Me too." I took a deep breath, then held up my hand. "One...one second." I hurried to my room and found my translation book...and the notes I'd written to myself. 

**Brilliant. Caring. Fascinating.**

**Beautiful.**

**Alexei.**

I shoved the note in the back of the book and returned to the laundry room, where Alexei was waiting. I showed him my book, and his face lit up. _"Ty khochesh' vyuchit' russkiy yazyk!"_

"Um..." I flipped through the book, looking for a way to tell him that I was trying to learn. "Okay, here goes nothing... um...ya peetayus...eezoochat...Roos-ky." I glanced up to see Alexei gazing at me. He looked almost awestruck.

 _"Ya vlyublyayus' v tebya,"_ he said softly.

"Um." I looked down at my book. "Vl-yoob...uh...hmm... what was that word?"

Alexei's eyes grew wide. "Nyet! N-no! Ahh..." He flipped through his book and nodded. "Ah. _My druzya._ Freend."

"Friend." I smiled, and nodded. "We're friends."

He smiled, and my heart sank a bit.

_Friends. We're friends._

_Just friends._


	9. Movers and Shakers

### Movers and Shakers ###

Alexei and I came down the stairs to see Murray watching with his trademark derisive smile, a drink in his hand. Vodka, no doubt. He'd taken to sharing a glass or two with Alexei after dinner. "Feeling better?" he asked loftily.

"Yeah." I picked up my Slurpee and took a big sip. "Bathroom is ready, towels are being washed."

"Lovely." Murray raised his eyebrow at Alexei. _"A kak ty sebya chuvstvuyesh'?"_

Alexei carefully set down his guidebook and grabbed his Slurpee. _"Ya v poryadke,"_ he mumbled.

Murray smiled. "Ahh. I see. It's a joint effort, is it? Still dancing around, pretending there's nothing there. How adorable."

I scoffed. "Do you ever get tired of pretending to be a grand philosopher?"

"Oh. See, now that? That's deflection. Not really your style, but you're feeling bolder lately, aren't you? More free. Dare I say...happier?" Murray chuckled and sipped his vodka. "I wonder why that is."

I rolled my eyes and stomped past him to the kitchen. "Whatever, Freud. I'm going to start on dinner."

After a few minutes, Murray strolled into the kitchen and started helping with the casserole. He didn't say a word, but something about his demeanor indicated that he was in a good mood. Pleased, even. 

_Pleased that his friends are coming. It's progress for Alexei._

At one point I looked over to see Alexei sitting in the living room, flipping through his guidebook and writing in the notepad. I smiled, then remembered what he'd written about me. **Kind. Patient. Beautiful.**

_He likes me._

He kept reaching for my hand when we were out today. He looked at me like I was someone special. Someone who mattered to him. 

_I like him._

Whenever Alexei was close, I'd feel anxious. When he touched me, my heart would pound like mad. 

But it wouldn't work. 

We didn't even speak the same language. Plus, it was reasonable to assume he'd stay with Murray back in Hawkins.

This was only temporary.

In the end, we'd be friends. There was nothing wrong with that. 

"Sarah."

I turned, expecting a lecture of some sort, but Murray only gave me a sad stare. 

"Time," he said softly. "We only get a limited amount of time on this planet. Please remember that." With that, he turned and headed back to the stove. 

I looked back to Alexei, who looked up and smiled at me. I smiled back, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.

The phone rang, and we both jumped. 

"I'll get it!" I yelled, and ran into the living room, feeling almost chastised. Alexei held the notepad to his chest and watched me answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, Sarah? It's Joyce. We were able to get a flight tomorrow, and I have the details."

"Oh, great! Wow. That was quick, you must have a great travel agent."

Joyce laughed, sounding almost nervous. "Oh no, um, actually Dr. Owens helped to arrange it."

"He must really want to meet with all of you." I pantomimed to Alexei that I needed a pen and paper, and he nodded and began thumbing through the notepad.

"Yeah, he's not able to come here so this all works out really well. I know I've thanked you already, but we really appreciate you letting us stay with you."

I grinned as Alexei handed me a pen and a blank sheet of paper. "Anytime. When are you getting in?"

####

Jim and Joyce's flight landed at 3:30 the next day. I offered to pick them up, but Joyce said they were getting a rental car, and I was "already doing too much".

Murray was in a noticeably better mood than in previous days. He described Jim as a "clueless oaf" and Joyce as "henpecking", but also said that they had a significant connection with Dr. Owens. As a team, Murray said they could put Alexei on the fast track to citizenship. 

They arrived at the house around 4:00. I went outside to greet them, joined by Alexei, who waved excitedly when Joyce pulled into the driveway. Murray stood in the doorway, sipping at his vodka.

Joyce and Jim got out of the car and stared up at the house, looking a little awestruck. "...even bigger than the mayor's house," Jim was muttering.

Joyce gave him a chastised look and spotted Alexei, giving him a hug. "So good to see you!" She turned to me and smiled. "You must be Sarah!"

Before I could say anything, Murray groaned loudly. "Yes, yes, Joyce, Jim, Sarah, Alexei," he said, pointing at each of us. "Now you've all met, which means we can move on and actually get things accomplished!" He turned around and stomped inside, leaving us to stand around, awkward and annoyed.

"Murray, you ass," I sighed, and stepped forward to properly introduce myself.

####

"I hope you don't mind sharing a room," I told Jim and Joyce as I led them upstairs. "If you do, I can arrange something..."

Murray snorted, but Jim just grinned. "We don't mind at all...do we, babe?" He put his arm around Joyce, who playfully elbowed him and smiled.

_They're so cute. Obviously crazy about each other._

_They're lucky._

I left them to get settled and joined Murray in the kitchen. "Think you can behave yourself?"

"Ha." Murray set his glass in the sink and frowned. "Um, Sarah. There's a lot of... delicate information that we might need to discuss."

I shrugged. "Privacy, I get it. Is it because of the military getting involved with that mall thing in Hawkins?"

"Yes. The less said about it, the better." He sighed. "Information is power, but it can be deadly."

I smirked. "You're worried about me."

Murray groaned. "You can be so insufferable."

"That's me." I stepped closer. "How about...a signal. A code."

Murray raised his eyebrows. "Code?"

That got him. I suppressed a grin and nodded. "If you think I should leave the room so that I don't hear anything that will put me at risk, just say..." I thought of various things, but then remembered a key scene in Back to the Future. "Use the phrase 'a bolt of lightning'. Then I'll find a way to excuse myself, and no harm done."

"A bolt of lightning." Murray grinned. "Deal."

Jim and Joyce came down, and I put out snacks and drinks in the living room while the casserole finished cooking. They talked about their kids, their faces lighting up with pride.

"Has Elle gotten her..." Murray cleared his throat. "Is she feeling better?"

"Is she sick?" I asked carefully, handing Jim another beer.

"She's...getting better. Slowly but surely." Jim tapped the beer can, seeming nervous. "She's, um, still strong. But she has doubts. Way too hard on herself."

I smiled. "How old is she?"

Jim sighed deeply and cracked open his beer. "Fourteen."

"Oh wow, all the crazy is starting."

He scoffed. "You're telling me."

"Do you have kids?" Joyce asked gently.

I managed a smile. "No, but...I volunteer at the local youth center. I love children."

Joyce smiled warmly. "That's amazing."

Alexei had been watching us...mostly me, and turned to Murray, who rolled his eyes and gestured at us. _"Oni govoryat o tom, kak prekrasny deti."_

_"Oni prekrasny,"_ Alexei replied happily. _"Deti prinosyat radost'."_

Murray sneered at him. "How on earth can you say that children bring joy, after meeting those horrible brats?" 

I tossed a hand towel on his head and left to check on dinner, laughing as he flailed a bit. "I think you're a brat, dear cousin," I teased.

"You're the original brat!" He shouted after me, and I flipped him off, much to the delight of my other guests.

####

After we ate, we gathered outside so they could all smoke.

"I'm trying to quit," Joyce admitted as she lit up. "It's hard as hell."

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Jim ventured, glancing at Murray and I. "You guys are pretty much loaded, right?"

Joyce groaned. "Oh my god..."

I laughed and sipped my wine. "It's okay. Our parents had money. It's kind of a family thing. Lots of owned businesses."

"Do you do anything besides volunteer work?" Jim asked.

I shrugged. "I invest. Volunteering takes up most of my time. After my divorce, I got even more involved. It's really rewarding."

"Her ex is a real piece of shit," Murray informed Jim and Joyce.

I chuckled and sipped at my wine. "No argument there."

Joyce smiled sympathetically. "Well, I'm glad you're rid of him." She raised her glass. "Here's to getting rid of heartless bastards."

"Here here!" Murray leaned forward, clicking our glasses together. Alexei looked at him quizzically, and Murray told him something that made Alexei looked concerned and upset.

"Anyway, enough about shitty exes." I finished my wine and set my glass down. "I have ice cream, Italian ices, and I got some cupcakes from the bakery for dessert. Plus I can make coffee."

"I sure hope you don't have strawberry because that man..." Jim pointed at Alexei, "hates it with a passion."

Alexei stared at him and took a slow drag on his cigarette. 

Joyce nudged Jim, who frowned and began to fidget. "Um, yeah. So, I uh. After everything that happened, I realized that I um. Needed to. Needed guidance, that is, and um." He looked to Joyce for help. 

She nodded encouragingly. "And you decided to see someone..."

"A shrink?" Murray asked.

Jim grunted and stamped out his cigarette on one of the ashtrays I'd gotten. "Yeah. So, um, Smirnoff..."

"Alexei," Joyce reminded him.

"Alexei." Jim coughed. "I, uh. I want to express..." He waved his hand in front of his chest. "Ah. I want to fully apologize for the way I spoke to you, and for...losing my temper when we were at Murray's. That was bad, and um. I shouldn't have...thrown you around like that."

My jaw dropped. In the background, I could hear Murray softly translating to Alexei.

"Yeah. Uh. I know I have a lot of... unresolved anger, due to my...my daughter's death, and everything going on with Elle, and, um. I have a problem with boundaries. I'm working on it." Jim took a big gulp of beer and coughed again. "So, um. I'm sorry. You saved us all, and I'm sorry for all the times I yelled at you and the um, the time I attacked you."

Joyce noticed my discomfort and gave me an embarrassed but reassuring smile. I looked to Alexei to see him watching Jim carefully. After a moment, he stood up and walked to stand in front of Jim. They stared at each other for a few minutes, then Alexei began speaking.

"Uh...he says...he appreciates your honesty. He accepts your apology. And...he thanks you for saving his life at the fair," Murray translated.

Alexei held out a hand, and Jim grinned. He stood up, shook Alexei's hand and pulled him in for a hug. "We make a good team, Smirnoff!" he said happily, and clapped Alexei so hard on the back that Alexei winced.

####

I brought out the desserts, waving away Joyce's offers to help. "Guests relax," I insisted, and handed Alexei a cherry Italian ice and a spoon. He grinned at me, and I could see Jim and Joyce sharing an amused glance.

"So, when do you meet with your doctor friend?" I asked, suddenly feeling self conscious. 

"Tomorrow." Joyce glanced at Murray. "He mentioned something about...finding a key. In California."

Murray paled. "Well, that's like finding a bolt of lightning."

I yawned and picked up my wine glass. "I'm so sorry, I'm being a bad host, but I'm beat. I think I'll head up to bed, unless anyone needs anything?"

Everyone said goodnight, and I gave a little hug to Joyce and patted Jim on the shoulder. Alexei watched me leave with a frown. I waved to him, then turned to go inside.

Once upstairs, I changed into my pajamas and heard something, realizing that I'd forgotten to shut my window. Murray was talking, slowly. Translating.

"...gate won't open, but they might have another scientist like him...who can unlock worlds. He wants to make sure that doesn't happen."

I reached up to close my window, but then I heard my name.

"Sarah...oh. He said he won't go anywhere or do anything until Dr. Owens guarantees her safety." Murray paused. "I second that, of course."

I closed my window, my mind racing. Murray wanted to protect me. He always did. He was almost like a brother. 

Alexei hardly knew me. But he was kind, patient, generous. He was protective, and brave.

Beautiful.

I would call Steve tomorrow, I decided. I'd cancel our date. It wasn't fair to him, even if it was just a friendly outing. 

Even if I never truly gathered my courage, and nothing came of it, I had to admit the truth to myself. 

I was starting to fall in love.


	10. Voices Carry

### Voices Carry ###

Someone was crying.

I hadn't been able to sleep very well. I'd brushed my teeth again, studied Russian, even contemplated going downstairs to watch TV. It was 1:20 am, and everyone was asleep - except someone who was faintly sobbing.

I carefully got out of bed and went to my bedroom door, opening it slowly. It was Joyce, surely, and something was obviously bothering her. I wasn't sure if she was sitting in the hallway, crying so she wouldn't disturb Jim, but I wanted to comfort her. 

What was bothering her?

They'd come in and gone to bed around 10:00. I'd been dozing off by then, with periodic bits of sleep in between restless wakefulness. 

I squinted in the darkness, looking for a huddled figure, but didn't see anything. Slowly I headed down the hallway, careful not to make a sound. I didn't want to startle her, or wake the others. 

Murray was faintly snoring, but I didn't hear anything from Alexei's room. I crept past it and listened, wondering if I should call for Joyce.

I'd just made my way past Murray's door when I heard her gasp, then say Jim's name. Then I heard a low groan... definitely male. I froze.

_Wait...are they...?_

I heard a gentle creak of a bed. "Jim... Jim, you're crushing me."

Jim mumbled an apology, and I clasped my hand over my mouth. 

_Holy shit, you almost interrupted them having sex!_

Alexei's door opened and he stepped into the hallway, pushing up his glasses. _"V chem delo?"_ he mumbled.

Without thinking, I rushed toward him, gently shushing and pushing him back into his room. I closed the door behind us and tried to stop my nervous giggling.

He stared at me, confused. "Serrah?"

"Sex," I explained, biting my lip to keep from laughing.

His eyes grew wide, and he looked me up and down. _"Seksa?"_

_Shit!_ "N-no! I'm not here to...I mean..." I pointed at the wall. "Jim. Joyce. Sex." I pointed to my ear and cringed.

He looked at me, then began to snicker. 

"Shh!" I ran up to him, trying desperately not to laugh with him. I was failing miserably. "Shh, I don't want them to know that we know!"

Alexei put his hand over his mouth, trying to supress his giggles. 

"Shh..." I reached out and squeezed his shoulders, trying to ground myself a bit. I was about to erupt into nervous laughter and his infectious giggling wasn't helping me. 

My touch seemed to calm him down, and he put his hands over mine, squeezing them. _"Prosti. Ya budu tikhim,"_ he murmured.

My gaze lowered. He was wearing a soft grey shirt and black boxers. Suddenly I remembered seeing him in a towel, water beading on his shoulders, and when the towel dropped...

I nearly jumped when he moved his hands down, caressing my arms. His eyes traveled down my body and he inhaled, slowly. 

I fought the urge to fidget. It was a warm night, so I'd put on my silk cami and shorts set, figuring I'd change before heading downstairs the next morning. Now, I felt nearly naked. 

It didn't feel mortifying, though. The way he was looking at me...I felt attractive. Desired. Sexy.

 _"Ty prekrasna,"_ Alexei whispered, moving closer. _"Takaya krasivaya."_

"I don't..." I breathed deeply. "I don't know what you're saying..."

"Bay..." He shook his head and tried again. "Beautiful," he murmured, and stroked my face.

His touch made me gasp, and I closed my eyes as Alexei cupped my face and lowered his lips to mine.

_Oh god. Kiss me. Touch me. Have me..._

A small thud outside the room made me jump, and I heard Jim curse. "Ow! Jesus! Stubbed my damn toe! Joyce!"

I cringed and stepped back, letting Alexei's hands fall from me. He tried to reach for me, whispering my name, but I shook my head and backed away.

Joyce's hurried footsteps stopped right outside Alexei's door. "What were you doing?" I heard her hiss.

"I was going to get a drink of water," Jim mumbled. 

She shushed him, and whispered something about getting water and ice from the freezer for his toe. I could hear him limp back to their room, softly cursing with every other breath.

_Well._

I shuffled closer to the door, away from Alexei. I couldn't look at him - I kept my gaze down, feeling my face burning. God, what was I doing? Was I so lonely that I was ready to throw myself at a man when there was company just a few feet away?

I waited until I heard Joyce downstairs in the kitchen, then carefully slipped out of Alexei's room, making sure to avoid eye contact. It was just too humiliating. 

I tiptoed back to my room, closing the door just as Joyce was coming up the stairs to take care of Jim. I had been careful - I was undetected. 

_Safe. Secure._

_Alone._

####

The next morning, I got up early to get breakfast ready. Murray, a typical early riser, got up around the same time, and we shuffled around each other in the kitchen, making breakfast and yawning while the coffee brewed.

Murray lowered the temperature on the eggs and chuckled. "I've got a movie quote for you. 'I can eat fifty eggs'. I'll give you a hint - do you remember when you came to visit us for the summer, right before you went into high school?"

I snickered and pressed the lever on the toaster. Breakfast was smelling good. "Oh my god...Paul Newman."

Murray took a bite of melon and shook his head. "I think I took you to see Cool Hand Luke ten times, at least."

"At least. 'What we got here is...'"

"Failure to communicate," we both finished, and snickered.

"I was so in love with Paul Newman. God." I chuckled and grabbed a piece of cantaloupe. "I remember telling you that I planned to marry him. You laughed at me, but then you tried to track down his actual phone number."

"Tried? I succeeded. The only reason I didn't call him is because by the time I confirmed my information, you had moved on to being in love with Warren Beatty."

"Hey, I have good taste." I thought of Graham and scoffed. "Well. Usually."

Murray grunted and scraped the scrambled eggs into a bowl. "I'll ask again - what the hell did you see in Graham?"

I shrugged. "I was younger. He was charming. And it wasn't all bad...just got worse as time went on."

Murray frowned. "He really did a number on your self-esteem, didn't he?"

"Can we not talk about him? It's depressing."

"Fine. But we do need to discuss our code." Murray popped a couple grapes into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "We need to expand it. If I keep talking about bolts of lightning, then it's too obvious."

"Okay, we'll use other parts of the movie."

"I'm not saying 'Great Scott!', Sarah."

"No, dummy!" I smacked him with a hand towel. "How about Cool Hand Luke references? That'll work for me."

"Deal." Murray took the hand towel from me and smacked me in the arm with it. "Please know that you had that coming."

"Morning!" Jim and Joyce made their way downstairs, blinking and yawning.

"Good morning!" I greeted them, and looked upstairs. Alexei's door was still closed.

"I smell coffee," Jim mumbled. 

"It's just about ready." I almost asked Jim about his toe, but stopped myself just in time. I didn't want them to know that I'd heard anything last night. "Um, how did you sleep?"

Jim grinned at Joyce. "Great," he murmured.

"Ugh. Thank God I'm a heavy sleeper," Murray muttered. 

I poured the coffee into the carafe, trying to ignore my memories of last night. Alexei had kissed me. The thought of it was thrilling, but...

_What's stopping you?_

I'd panicked. After hearing Jim, I talked myself into feeling shameful. 

Murray was right. I was never the right amount of anything for Graham. I was too seductive one night, then frigid the next. I focused too much on cleaning when I should be cooking, or vice versa. When we first started dating, Graham said I was beautiful, but not long after we got married, he said I'd let myself go. I hadn't changed my appearance, but to him, I became less desirable. And to him, all of it was my fault.

I was rid of Graham, but not really. I still talked myself out of enjoying things. I told myself I wasn't good enough for Alexei, when I desperately wanted to be with him.

I'd try to talk to him later, I decided. Maybe we could really make an effort. Take language lessons together. It would take time, but..it could work. 

There was something there. I couldn't deny it anymore.

After we all had our coffee and sat down to eat, there was still no sign of Alexei. I was considering going up to check on him, as he was usually up pretty early, but then he came downstairs, holding his notepad and guidebook. He gave me a sad smile, then sat down. 

_"Dobroye utro,"_ Murray greeted him, and Alexei merely nodded. He kept his head down as he prepared a plate.

I wanted to tell him that I wasn't rejecting him, that I'd panicked and didn't mean to hurt him, but that would mean having an awkward as hell translation session with my cousin. Our talk would have to wait.

"When do you meet with Dr. Owens?" I asked Joyce.

"This afternoon. We should leave around 1:00." She nudged Jim. "We should call home today. See how Billy's doing."

Jim nodded and bit into his toast. "Max said he was in and out of consciousness."

Alexei drummed his fingers on the table, then took a deep breath and leaned close to Murray. He whispered something, then got up and went outside. 

I stared after him, my heart sinking as I watched him walk out to the lawn, staring out at the mountains. 

"What did you do to Alexei?" Joyce hissed, and my blood ran cold until I realized that she was talking to Jim.

Jim stared at her, incredulous. "I didn't do anything!"

"He's obviously upset." 

Jim huffed. "Not everything is my fault!"

"He's got a lot on his mind," I offered meekly. "The citizenship process and everything."

Murray turned to me, giving me a strange look. "He said he has something for you. A note."

I excused myself and went outside, my mind racing. 

Alexei turned when he heard me approach. With an unreadable expression, he took a deep breath and reached into his pocket, carefully unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to me.

"What is it?" I whispered, and began to read.

****

**Sarah, please to have patience. I have book to translate, but could make mistakes.**

**I apologize for the night before. I was wrong. Will not happen again. I understand we are friends. Good friends.**

**Thank you for sharing your home. I am grateful to your generosity.**

**\- Alexei  
**

"Oh..." I shook my head. "Alexei..."

"Is okay." He smiled, his eyes sad. _"Druz'ya._ Friends."

I looked back inside, where Jim, Joyce, and Murray were huddled close together, talking. The phone rang, and Murray ran to answer it. 

"Serrah?" Alexei frowned. 

I held a hand up. "Wait here, okay? Just one second."

He nodded, and I hurried inside, running upstairs to grab my translation book. After I retrieved it, I ran downstairs, past Murray, who was shouting into the phone, and went outside, where a confused Alexei was waiting.

"Okay." My hands shook as I rapidly turned pages. "Okay, let me just look...I'll find something here, just a sec..."

"Serrah," Alexei said softly.

"I'll find the words, I just..."

"Serrah." He carefully placed his hands over mine and smiled. "It is...okay. I promise to you."

I sighed, nearly stamping my foot in frustration. "No...you don't understand..."

"That is literally one of the most idiotic things that I've ever heard!" Murray screamed, and muttered something to Jim, who shook his head. Joyce frowned and began pacing. 

_"Chto-to ne tak,"_ Alexei muttered, and went inside.

"Great," I mumbled. How the hell was I going to tell him that I didn't want to just be friends? How the hell could I tell him that I wanted more, that I wanted to try?

Gathering my courage, I went inside. I'd pull him aside. Lead him upstairs, where we could speak privately. I'd draw pictures, for God's sake. Or I'd just kiss him and smile. 

Murray was talking to Alexei, both of them looking devastated.

 _"Eto nevozmozhno?"_ Alexei asked softly.

Murray shook his head and breathed in shakily.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Apparently the powers that be won't allow a genius visa for Alexei," Murray replied, his jaw clenching. "They think he's too dangerous."

My heart dropped. "That's... but that just proves he belongs here, in this country, working for us!" 

"I know." Murray smiled sadly. "I told them the same damn thing."

Jim cursed under his breath. "Why can't Sam just...do we he did for Elle?"

"Your daughter?" I asked.

Jim nodded. "He, um, has contacts. He helped speed up the adoption process. Elle was...with a bad family."

"Dr. Owens is reluctant to work with anyone he doesn't know. He said he will meet with us today, but can't discuss citizenship for Alexei." Murray sounded exhausted. "I don't know what to do. If they send him back..." 

Joyce took a deep breath and turned to Alexei. "I think I might have something."

Jim frowned. "You do?"

Joyce nodded and walked up to Alexei. "I want to help you," she whispered, and smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "You saved all of us. I have to save you too."

Jim narrowed his eyes. "What are you..."

Joyce turned to Murray. "Can you translate for me?"

Murray walked up to her, his brow furrowed. "Okay. What's..."

"I need to ask him a question." Joyce smiled again, looking nervous. "Alexei...will you marry me?"

"What?" I whispered, and dropped my translation book.


	11. That's What Friends Are For

### That's What Friends Are For ###

"Over my dead body!" Jim shouted. "Are you fucking kidding me, Joyce?"

Joyce scoffed. "Will you calm down, Jim, it doesn't mean anything!"

"Doesn't mean anything? You're _getting married_ to another man!"

"It's to keep him here, I don't _love_ him! It's just going to be piece of paper saying that we're married!"

Jim laughed sarcastically. "Just a piece of...wow. _Wow_ , Joyce."

I focused on putting away breakfast as they shouted at each other outside. Murray was on the phone, and Alexei had disappeared into his room, closing the door behind him.

I put the last of the food in the fridge and leaned against it. My whole body was shaking. I felt faint.

"Okay...okay, fine, just call here as soon as you can." Murray hung up and took a deep breath. "Sarah."

"What?" I mumbled. 

"God, Sarah." Murray walked into the kitchen, his face downcast. "I am so, so sorry."

I closed my eyes. I was _not_ going to cry.

"I asked, you know."

"Asked?" I opened my eyes to see Murray smiling sadly. 

"Yeah. I asked if it could be someone else who he could marry. But Dr. Owens...Sam...said he could work with it being Joyce. She has more of a history with Alexei...shared trauma." Murray took a deep breath. "I tried to tell him..."

"No, it's..." I stopped myself from saying "fine". It wasn't fine. "It's not your fault. And you're right, Alexei...um, with Joyce...I can see how it would make sense to someone who doesn't know them very well." I rubbed my eyes. "I'm not thinking clearly, sorry. This is all to keep Alexei safe. That's what matters."

"Yeah." Murray clenched his jaw. "I know, but you..."

"How is he?" I interrupted.

Murray scoffed. "He doesn't answer when I knock on the door. I have no idea how he's doing."

"I'll check on him," I decided, and walked past him to go upstairs.

Outside, Jim and Joyce were still fighting. "It's Scott Clarke all over again!" Jim shouted, and Joyce threw her hands up and denied doing anything with Scott Clarke.

I stopped outside Alexei's door, placing my hand on it. "Alexei?" I asked softly. "Alexei...it's Sarah."

Silence.

"We're worried about you." I leaned my forehead against the door. " _I'm_ worried about you. Please."

No response. I fought the urge to press my ear against the door and instead tried to be positive. He needed encouragement and support right now. This was a difficult situation, but it was all for his benefit. It would be worth it, if it kept him safe. 

"It's okay. I just wanted to check on you," I whispered. "If you..."

The door opened. Alexei looked at me with a forlorn expression. His mouth was downturned, and the usual light in his eyes was gone.

My heart sank. "Hey," I whispered.

Alexei stepped back. I took his invitation and entered the room, almost jumping when I heard the soft click of the door.

We were alone.

I tried to smile at him, but faltered. "I just...I just wanted to..."

He stared at me, looking lost and broken.

"Alexei," I whispered, and rushed forward, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him close for a hug.

He inhaled shakily, then returned my embrace, resting his lips on my forehead and planting a gentle kiss. _"Ya khochu, chtoby eto byla ty,_ " he whispered.

"Are you okay?" I whispered back, closing my eyes as he stroked my hair. His heart was pounding like mad, a steady nervous beat.

He didn't respond. Instead, he gently ran his fingers through my hair and sighed.

I ignored the slow burn through my body at his touch. He needed a friend right now, not a would be paramour. "Hey...it'll all be okay, you'll see," I soothed, patting his back. "You'll be okay, and that's what's important."

"People! Hello!" Murray's shouts reverberated through the house. "I have new information! Plus we have to leave soon!"

"C'mon," I whispered, and took Alexei's hand. "We'll go together."

When we got downstairs, Murray was talking to Jim while Joyce paced. 

"...that's why it has to be Joyce," Murray finished saying, and Jim huffed.

"This is fucking insane," he growled. 

"It's just a legal arrangement," Joyce argued. "We'll get a marriage certificate, and say we're in love, and it'll be fine."

Murray shook his head. "It's not that simple. They look for cases of fraud all the time. They expect you to live together, have joint bank accounts, pictures. You have separate interviews, and they ask you about birthdays, memories, and what side of the bed you sleep on. It's a commitment, Joyce. It's at least three, or five years. Maybe more."

Jim cursed under his breath and stormed back outside. Joyce watched him go and took a deep breath.

"I can't just let them take Alexei back," she whispered. "He's not safe in Russia."

"We'll figure something out," Murray assured her.

I squeezed Alexei's hand and smiled at him. "Hey, can you tell him it'll be okay? He's worried."

 _"Ona deystvitel'no bespokoitsya o tebe,"_ Murray muttered, glancing at me.

Alexei squeezed my hand and smiled at me. _"Ya znayu. Ona deystvitel'no zamechatel'naya."_

I looked at Joyce, who was watching Jim smoke and stare at the woods surrounding the house. She sighed and rubbed her neck, clearly upset. 

"If...if you need to have an actual wedding, you can have it here," I mumbled. "I can get a cake..."

Joyce covered her face with her hands. "Oh shit, what am I doing?"

Murray stepped in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't decide anything right now. We still have to meet with Dr. Owens...in fact, we should get ready to leave. We'll all talk to him, and maybe he'll think of something we haven't even thought of yet. Okay?"

"Okay. Yeah." Joyce hugged herself, looking lost. 

Alexei murmured my name and pulled me close. I wrapped my arms around him and breathed deeply, trying to calm my racing heart.

####

They left at noon, opting to leave early to get more time with Dr. Owens.

Alexei brought his notepad and guidebook with him. He avoided eye contact with everyone, especially Joyce. Jim was silent and sullen, and Murray watched him carefully. Joyce looked like she was lost in a disconcerting daydream and kept staring off into space. 

I watched them go, feeling more helpless than I ever had before.

My home was empty, quiet. I absentmindedly cleaned the kitchen and living room, then remembered that I'd dropped my Russian guidebook earlier, but couldn't find it. 

Did it even matter, at this point?

The day passed into the afternoon, and they hadn't returned. I put the TV on just to have some noise and snacked on fruit.

Hours passed. It grew dark outside. 

"Where are you?" I whispered, and shuddered. It wasn't like Murray not to call.

I'd made myself a TV dinner and picked at it while I tried to watch Family Ties, but watching it made me think of Back to the Future, which made me think of Alexei, and I couldn't bear that right now. I changed it to Magnum, P.I., and sat back to watch it when the phone rang.

I nearly dove for it. "Hello? Murray?"

"Hello?" It was a young girl. "I'm sorry, I might have the wrong number. Is, um, Jim Hopper or Joyce Byers there?" 

"I'm sorry, you just missed them." I instinctively reached for my notepad, then remembered that Alexei had it. There was only a single piece of paper, and I picked it up, realizing it had information about my date with Steve for tomorrow night. 

_Should I still go?_

"Oh...um, can I leave a message?" The girl asked, sounding a bit concerned.

I smiled and turned the paper over. "Of course. My name's Sarah, by the way. Jim and Joyce know my cousin, Murray."

"Bald eagle?" I heard a voice ask in the background, and the girl shushed them.

"Sorry about that. I'm Max. Can you tell them that Billy woke up and he's, um, talking about things that happened."

I nodded and wrote down the message. "Okay...I'll let them know. I'm not sure when they'll be back, but as soon as I hear from them, I'll give them the message."

"Cool, thanks. Can you tell them we're here in the hospital with Billy, and Nancy's here with us...shh! Mike, oh my god, shut up! Ugh...sorry...but yeah, we came to visit Billy and Nancy and Jonathan are here too, they gave us a ride."

"I'll tell them," I promised. I took down the hospital information to pass along to Jim and Joyce. "I hope Billy feels better soon."

Someone in the background mentioned Billy talking about a gate opening, and Max shushed them. "I'm taking care of it! Jeez. Um, sorry, Sarah...and thank you. Nancy's going to give us a ride home, the guys are staying with Mike and Elle's sleeping over at my house."

 _Elle. Jim's daughter_ , I recalled, and wrote that down as well. "Got it. Be careful!"

"We will. Nice to meet you! Bye." Max hung up, and I'd just set the phone in the cradle when it rang again.

It was Murray. "Sarah? We're going to spend the night here. Dr. Owens put us up in a hotel. I would have called sooner, but we've been in meetings all day."

"That's fine. How is... everyone?"

Murray chuckled ruefully. "He's anxious. We all are. It, uh, looks like it all might be happening...the marriage."

"Oh." My stomach turned at the idea, but I ignored it. It was all to keep Alexei here, and safe. It was worth it. "Oh, hey, a girl named Max called. She had a message for Jim and Joyce."

"Hold on." Murray spoke to someone, then Jim got on the phone. He sounded weary and defeated. "Yeah?" he mumbled.

I gave him the message that Max had left, and that roused him up a bit. 

"Mike said something about a gate?"

"Yeah, apparently Billy mentioned a gate opening?" I frowned. "Is he okay?"

Jim cursed under his breath. "Uh, yeah, he'll be fine, Max's brother was at the mall when everything happened. He got pretty banged up."

"Oh no." 

"Yeah, uh...listen, Sarah, we have to get going. Alexei's working on something...Wait, here's your cousin." Jim muttered something that made Murray sigh.

"Hey, Sarah. Sorry about all this, we've got a lot going on."

"It's fine. When do you think you might come back?"

"Late tomorrow, maybe? Don't wait up."

I thought of my date with Steve. I'd been ready to cancel it, but now...

"I won't," I told him, and cleared my throat. "If I'm not home when you get back, you have keys."

"Oh...right. Your date."

"Yup." 

"I guess...um. Have fun. Remember our codes."

"Will do." I hung up, feeling hollow. 

Alexei was getting married. Anything that could have happened couldn't happen now.

_Time to move on._

I put on Cheers and lay down on the couch, ready to lose myself in a make believe world for a while.


	12. Be Near Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is where the rating changes, so you've been warned! There's going to be more chapters as well...I have some big plans. :)

### Be Near Me ###

"Are you ready to escape?"

I stretched and groaned. I'd fallen asleep in the couch and left the TV on. 

"Run away from your troubles with an Enchanted Dreams bath. Soak in the luxurious scent..."

I grabbed the remote and turned off the television, tossing the remote on the floor in disgust. My body ached, and I felt dizzy. I needed to eat something.

After I made coffee, I grabbed two cupcakes and went outside. It was not the healthiest breakfast, but I didn't care.

As I ate, I stared at my backyard, remembering how I'd told Graham that we should put a pool in, and it was one of the few things we'd agreed on. We'd planned to look at designs, but then everything fell apart. I'd considered the idea of having one built after the divorce, but never got around to it.

Maybe now I would. It would be a nice distraction.

I took the rest of my coffee and the cupcake wrappers inside. I would look into the pool, maybe other projects around the house. I'd keep myself busy.

I'd go on dates.

####

I was still alone in the house when 6:30 rolled around. Steve and I had agreed to meet up at the mall, so I left a note for Murray and headed out.

The Sunside Mall was crowded, which was unsurprising for a Friday. Steve was standing by a poster for Attack of the Beast Creatures and waved when he spotted me.

"Hey!" I gave him a friendly hug and smiled. I'd be positive. I'd be outgoing. 

"Hello." Steve smiled, looking a little nervous. He chuckled. "I, uh, have a confession to make...I've already seen Back to the Future. But it was great, I wouldn't mind seeing it again."

I laughed. "Same here."

We managed to get decent seats, which was lucky because the theater was packed. This movie was a hit. I did enjoy seeing it again, but...

_Don't think about Alexei._

But that was impossible. Remembering his reactions and the way we'd smiled at each other when Marty's parents kissed at the dance was inescapable. 

_He's marrying someone else._

My throat closed up and my eyes began to sting. I let it happen. I was heartbroken, and didn't care.

####

We got ice cream afterwards, and walked along the street, away from the crowd. The moon shine brightly, and there was a gentle breeze. It was a romantic setting.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked carefully, once we were mostly alone.

I scooped another spoonful of cherry ice cream and tried to smile. "Yeah, sorry. I'm, um, worried about a friend."

Steve smiled warmly. "What's his name?"

I laughed and shook my head. "Sorry. His name is Alexei." 

Steve nodded and gestured to a nearby bench. We sat and finished our ice cream, and after tossing our garbage in a nearby trashcan, Steve cleared his throat. "I, uh. Need to say something."

I closed my eyes and braced myself. I'd been quiet for most of the evening, and probably not much fun. Now came a rejection that I rightfully deserved.

"I'm gay."

My eyes opened. "What?"

Steve smiled ruefully. "Um, yeah. Me and Ryan... we're not just roommates. But, um, we're not out yet. Not officially."

"Oh." I smiled, then sighed. "That's fine, that's great! I'm sorry, I'm just..."

"You're in love with someone else," Steve said, and winked.

"Uh...well, I..."

"Sorry, you're at least extremely interested in someone else. Just as well, huh?" Steve laughed and shook his head. "Ryan thinks we should come out. At least to other people at the youth center."

I smiled warmly at him and patted his shoulder. "I can assure you no one at the center will mind at all. Not that they should of course!"

Steve shrugged. "It's fine. I agree. The center is full of great people, like yourself." He grinned. "So...tell me about this Alexei guy."

####

My "date" ended with Steve giving me a friendly hug, both of us planning to go out as a group with Lisa and Ryan. He also made me promise to tell Alexei how I feel.

I got home around 10:00, not long after Murray pulled in. He was outside with Jim and Joyce, getting out their bags. 

"He's upstairs, looking for you," Murray informed me as soon as I got out of the car. 

Jim grinned at me and pulled Joyce close. "Guess who's not getting married?" he said happily.

My heart leapt. "What happened?" 

"Alexei impressed Dr. Owens so much, that he said a genius visa will work after all." Joyce grinned and cuddled into Jim's side, blushing when he kissed the top of her head. "There were a lot of other government workers there, and they said they want him working for our country."

I turned to Murray. "How do you say 'my date was gay and I want to be with you' in Russian?"

Jim and Joyce laughed, but Murray just stared at me. "You went on a date with a gay man?"

"Not on purpose! Now tell me!" I yelled, yanking the front door open. 

Murray scoffed and followed me inside. Alexei was standing outside his room, clutching his guidebook and staring down at us intently. 

I grinned up at him, then nudged Murray, who sighed.

"For God's sake. _Ona poshla na svidaniye s gomoseksualistom segodnya vecherom. Ona khochet tebya. Eto ochevidno._ "

Alexei looked confused at first, but then smiled and looked at me with pure joy.

"Ugh," Murray remarked as I ran upstairs. "We'll be outside. Or at least I will. Close your window, please, dear cousin!"

As soon as I reached Alexei, I took his hand and led him into my bedroom, my heart pounding. I closed the door behind us and locked it, then remembered Murray's request and closed my window.

Alexei clutched his guidebook and stepped closer. He opened it, and pulled out a piece of paper.

I watched, realizing that it wasn't his translation book...it was mine.

He held up the note that I'd written. 

**Brilliant. Caring. Fascinating.**

**Beautiful.**

**Alexei.**

I laughed and nodded, trying to blink back tears. I was a mess. "Yeah. I..."

"You..." He took a deep breath. "You...and me? _Ya tebe nravlyus'_....you l-like me?"

"Yes," I whispered, and stepped closer.

He grinned, tossed the book to the side, and pulled me in for a kiss.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, my heart beating so fast that I felt dizzy. My hands clutched at his back, pulling him closer. His hands caressed my hair, making me gasp. He moaned into my mouth. 

Half blind with lust, I pulled him toward my bed. With shaking hands I began undoing the buttons on my dress and fumbled with my belt.

Alexei watched me with wide eyes, then began pulling at his own clothes. I was halfway out of my dress when he reached for me again, cupping my face in his hands and kissing me.

I moaned, letting my hands rest on his now bare chest. His skin jumped at my touch, and our kiss deepened. Soon his hands began to wander as well, gently caressing my shoulders, tentatively moving down to my chest.

I wanted more. I took his hands and placed them over my breasts, making both of us gasp.

"Serrah," Alexei whispered, and gently squeezed me.

"Alexei," I murmured, and kissed down his neck as I reached for his belt.

He growled and pulled at my bra while I began to unbuckle him. Somehow we managed to get each other undressed and stumbled onto the bed. 

We found our way under the covers, giggling and kissing each other with abandon. Soon our kisses grew heated, and I reached down to touch him.

Alexei moaned loudly as I began stroking him, shivering as I gave him a gentle squeeze. He was big, longer and thicker than any man I'd been with. I moaned at the thought of him being inside me, and swiped my thumb over the tip, spreading the bead of precum that gathered there.

 _"Blyat,"_ Alexei gasped, and placed his hand on my hip, his fingers shaking. 

"Touch me," I whispered, and guided his hand between my legs.

 _"Da,"_ he exclaimed, and carefully slid two fingers inside me.

"Oh, fuck." I let go of his cock and grabbed his shoulder, trying not to dig my fingernails in. It had been years since I'd had sex, and even longer since someone touched me with any kind of passion. I shivered as Alexei gently swirled and stroked his fingers inside me, and then gasped as I felt a familiar burn in the pit of my stomach. 

"Holy shit." I grasped onto Alexei, panting as he murmured into my neck. His thumb began rubbing hard little circles on my clit, and he moved his fingers faster inside me, curling his fingers to press hard against me. "Holy shit...oh god, I'm coming..."

I buried my face in his neck and cried out as I spasmed, clutching onto him for dear life. Alexei babbled something in Russian as he moved his hand faster still, sending another wave of pleasure through me.

 _"Tak mokro"_ , he murmured, and withdrew as I gently pushed at his hand. _"Tak vlazhno dlya menya."_ Alexei brought his fingers to his mouth and sucked on them, closing his eyes and moaning at the taste.

"Oh god." I turned and fumbled for the drawer on my nightstand, grabbing the box of condoms Lisa had bought me as a post-divorce gift. I tore open the box and pulled out a wrapper, tossing the rest to the floor. I'd clean everything up later. Right now, I needed Alexei inside me more than I'd needed anything before in my life. 

Alexei helped me open the wrapper and he took the condom, carefully rolling it onto himself. I reached for him as soon as he got it on, looking into his eyes and smiling.

He grinned at me, leaned down to give me an almost chaste kiss, then settled on top of me. I felt him nudge against me, then slowly began to push inside.

"Oh my god." My head fell back against my pillows as he fully entered me. God, he was deep. I closed my eyes as he began to move, a steady pace that made my toes curl.

"Serrah," he groaned, and kissed my neck. His glasses pushed against my shoulder and we giggled. He kissed my cheek, pulled off his glasses and set them on my nightstand, then kissed me again and resumed his movements.

"You're fucking gorgeous," I gasped, wrapping my legs around him. I could feel my body building toward another orgasm already. "God, you feel good."

Alexei moved faster, making me cry out. He whispered to me, murmuring what sounded like encouragement, stroking my hair. His cock pushed deep inside me, hitting a spot over and over that made me see stars.

"Oh god, oh god... Alexei... Alexei..." I grasped onto him as I came, moaning against his shoulder. My body spasmed, and my legs tightened around him, pulling him even deeper.

 _"Ya chuvstvuyu, kak ty szhimayesh' menya_ ," he moaned, and thrust harder.

I babbled curses and pleas as I came again, holding onto him for dear life. His movements lost their rhythm, and he began panting.

 _"Ya sobirayus' konchit'_ ," Alexei gasped, and shuddered. "Serrah...Serrah...ya zakanchivayu..."

I watched and moaned as he pushed deep into me and held himself there, shuddering and gasping as he came. I caressed his back and spoke soothingly, stroking his hair when he groaned and collapsed on top of me.

We lay together for a minute, trying to catch our breath. Alexei exhaled, then lifted his head and looked at me with such reverence that my heart leapt. 

"Hey," I whispered, and grinned.

"Hey," he murmured, and kissed me.

I sighed and stroked his face, giggling as he broke the kiss to place a series of small kisses along my neck. He carefully pulled away, then leaned down to hold himself while he withdrew.

We both gasped when he pulled out, and I waited until he pulled off the condom and tied a knot around it before leaning close to wrap arms around him. Alexei tossed the condom to the floor and pulled me close, kissing the top of my head.

"Wow," I murmured, and smiled, stroking his chest and listening to his heartbeat.

"Wow," he agreed, holding me close and caressing my hair.

I smiled, closed my eyes, and faded into sleep.


	13. Alive and Kicking

### Alive and Kicking ###

He was beautiful.

I'd woken up in Alexei's arms, and he still slept, having turned on his side in his sleep, facing me. He looked so peaceful.

I carefully got out of bed, put on a robe and headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. After washing my face, I looked at myself in the mirror. I felt different. I smiled at my reflection, and nearly giggled. I felt... beautiful. Wanted. 

Had I ever really felt that before?

"Serrah?" 

I opened the bathroom door and saw Alexei sitting up in bed, blinking sleepily. 

"Hey," I murmured, and bit my lower lip to keep from grinning like an idiot. It didn't work.

"Hey." He stretched and held his hand out, giving me a sleepy smile. 

I hurried over, climbing on top of him and covering his face with kisses. Alexei giggled and pulled my robe open, and soon we were making love, with me slowly riding him until we were both moaning and panting. 

"You feel amazing," I whispered, and clamped my hand over my mouth when I came to muffle my cries. Soon I was hunched over on top of him, mewling into the pillow as orgasms ran through my body. Alexei gasped and thrust up, moaning into my shoulder as he climaxed. 

I pulled him into the shower with me, where we kissed and washed each other, giggling like teenagers. 

Once we dried ourselves off, I took him by the hand and led him downstairs, where I made coffee and Alexei helped to prepare breakfast. I put out the fruit from yesterday, marvelling at how much had changed since then.

Murray had warned me off learning too much about their situation, but now that Alexei and were, well, together, I wanted to know more.

I grabbed my translation book and flipped through it while Alexei made syrniki. He spotted me and smiled expectantly. 

"Um...Alexei..." I found a way to ask what had happened the previous day. "Um...shostoo...sloochee...ugh." I gave up and pointed to the phrase. _Chto sluchilos' vchera?_ "With Dr. Owens," I added for clarification.

Alexei's eyes widened. "Oh. _Vrata._ Erm..." He picked up his book and thumbed through it, then found the page he was looking for and showed it to me. **Doorway.**

"Doorway?" I frowned. "What kind of doorway?"

Alexei noticed my confusion and pantomimed using a key to open a door, then pointed at himself and pantomimed closing it and locking it.

"You...closed a doorway." I shook my head. "Uh. Is this a metaphor?"

"You'd better be dressed down there!" Murray shouted from upstairs, and began to head down. 

I grabbed Alexei's arm and placed my finger over my mouth and then his to let him know not to tell my cousin about my questions. Alexei nodded and gave me a thumbs up.

"I am endlessly thankful for my mother's genetic gift of heavy sleeping," Murray stated as he shuffled past us to grab coffee. "It is painfully obvious that you two had sex."

I sighed. "For God's sake..."

"Spare me! Spare me. Let us move on, shall we?" Murray sipped at his coffee and took a deep breath. "Now I have to make sure those goons make good on their promise to make Alexei a citizen."

"Let me know how I can help," I offered, and offered him a piece of cantaloupe.

Murray gave me his trademark derisive smile. "Oh. I will." He grimaced and put his cup of coffee down. "I feel sick. No fruit for me."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he snapped.

"Good morning!" Jim came bounding down the stairs, in a much better mood than yesterday. He clapped Alexei on the back as he passed him and gave me and Murray a warm smile as he grabbed a handful of grapes. "Joyce will be down soon. She's just finishing up her shower."

Murray muttered something about everyone having sex but him and went into the living room. 

We took the food outside, opting to enjoy the view while we ate. Joyce came downstairs just as we took out the last of the food, and scooted next to Jim on one of the loveseats. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, grinning happily. 

"Well, I guess I can put in a pool after all, since you won't be needing the backyard for a wedding," I joked, then inwardly cringed. Was it being too crass about everything?

Luckily Jim and Joyce laughed and snuggled closer together. "We all kind of dodged a bullet there, didn't we? No offense, Alexei," Joyce added.

Murray translated, and Alexei just smiled and put an arm around me. _"Ya dovolen tem, kak obstoyat dela seychas,"_ he murmured, and kissed my forehead.

"No wonder I feel sick," Murray grumbled.

"Do you want some ginger ale?" 

Murray waved away my suggestion. "I'm fine, dear cousin." He caught Alexei's gaze and actually smiled.

 _I'm happy,_ I realized as we began to eat breakfast. _Probably for the first time in my life. Really happy._

I let myself enjoy it - the company, the displays of affection from Alexei, all of it. Finally, I could admit it - I deserved happiness.

When we finished, I went inside to make more coffee, and the phone rang. I figured it was probably Lisa asking about my date with Steve, and I smirked to myself as I answered it. "Hello?"

"Hello?" It was a young boy, and he sounded frantic. "I'm looking for my mom - my name's Will."

"Tell her it's a code red!" another young boy shouted in the background.

"One second," I promised, and ran outside.

Murray and Alexei were walking along the woods, and Jim was talking to Joyce. I overheard him saying something about "a place for all of us...me, you, Elle, and the boys..." and my heart sank to interrupt such an important moment, but this sounded like an emergency. 

"Joyce?"

She looked up at me, seeming stunned by Jim's suggestion of moving in together. "Um...hello."

"Sorry...your son Will us on the phone? He sounds upset."

Her expression darkened and she scrambled to get up, Jim following close behind. 

"What's going on?" Murray shouted.

"Something's going on with their kids," I answered, looking back at Jim and Joyce. She was telling him something that made him pull at his hair in frustration.

Murray hurried past me inside the house, holding his stomach and cursing, but Alexei grabbed my hand and pulled me close so we could walk inside together. 

"Billy's missing," Joyce informed us, her brow furrowed. "He attacked a nurse and left the hospital. They think he stole a car. Elle can't...they can't track him."

"'Sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand'," Murray quoted to me, his eyes wide. The signal.

I mumbled an apology and an excuse that I needed the restroom and headed upstairs. On my way up, I heard Joyce say that Will had told her that a man - "he" - was definitely involved.

Once upstairs, I closed the door and left it open a crack so I could listen.

"Alexei closed the gate. We all saw it," Jim insisted.

"He closed _one_ gate, Jim," my cousin corrected. "There must be another one. One close to here." 

_"Yesli oni poobeshchayut zashchitit' Saru i sdelat' menya grazhdaninom, ya pomogu nayti drugie vrata.."_

I frowned. Why was Alexei mentioning me?

"He says if they promise to protect Sarah and make him a citizen, he will help find this other doorway," Murray translated.

"This makes no sense," I whispered. 

"Billy said something to the nurse about finding 'her', but they don't know who that might be," Joyce told them.

"Oh god. It's Elle. We have to get home," Jim insisted. 

Fuck it. I was going downstairs. I wanted to know what the hell was going on.

I braced myself for Murray's wrath and opened the door, just in time to see him double over in pain and collapse to the floor.


	14. Would I Lie to You?

### Would I Lie to You? ###

Murray was still sleeping. I'd been at the hospital by his side almost the whole time, except for the surgery. At this point I'd be happy never to see another vending machine or months old magazine again. 

Alexei held my hand, and murmured my name encouragingly. It kept me sane.

The hospital room was hardly inviting, but now there were a few flower arrangements and some of Murray's favorite books - works by George Orwell, Upton Sinclair, and Frederick Nietzsche - from the bookstore next to the hospital. I'd also gotten him a new Walkman from the gift shop. I wasn't able to get a private room for Murray, so he had to share the room with a woman who was currently sleeping soundly. She was very pretty, looked to be about his age, with short spiky blond hair. She might not be too keen on Murray blasting his big band music, or his "thinking music", as he called it, so the Walkman would help.

Murray suddenly groaned and blinked his eyes open, staring at me blearily. "Did I die?"

I grinned and squeezed his hand. "No. Your appendix ruptured, and you had emergency surgery. Now you rest, and recover."

"Ugh." He craned his neck to look at Alexei, who smiled and waved. "Okay. Jim and Joyce already left?"

"They stayed until you got into surgery, then I told them to go catch their flight. I knew you'd be okay, and they were worried about their kids."

Murray closed his eyes. "I thought I was poisoned."

I suppressed a sigh. "And who would poison you, exactly?"

"You'd be surprised." Murray opened his eyes, then frowned at the curtain drawn around the sleeping woman. "I have a roommate?"

I winced. "Yeah, sorry, there's a woman sleeping in there...all private rooms were full. I tried, but..."

"What's her story?"

"Well...I don't know, she's been sleeping since I've been here, which has been since this morning, so..."

Murray pointed at her, his hand wavering. "Get her chart."

"What? No!"

"I have a right to know who I'm being forced to share my space with!"

"Lower your voice!" I hissed. "I'll get her name, but calm down, or I'll have a nurse give you a sponge bath."

Murray waved his hand impatiently as I hurried to the woman's bed. I scanned the chart for her name - Vanessa Davis. 

Alexei was softly talking to Murray when I got back, and I heard him mention me. "What did he say?" I asked as I sat down.

"He just promised me that he'd take care of you," Murray replied. "Name."

"Vanessa."

"Full name!"

"For God's sake! Vanessa Davis. That's all you're getting. Try to be civil. She's in a hospital too."

Murray grunted. _"Po krayney mere, ya ne dolzhen bespokoit'sya o tebe seychas."_

Alexei nodded in agreement and put his arm around me. I leaned into him, smiling at my cousin. "I give up. What did you say?"

"I _said_ , I don't have to worry about you now. You've got Alexei... he'll protect you." Murray yawned. "He's a hero, you know. Helped defeat a monster. Closed another doorway."

I frowned. "Okay...I think the pain medication is kicking in..."

"Ugh, why do I keep thinking of Paul Newman?" Murray shook his head weakly. "Mmph. It's true though. Mindflayer... that's what Will called it. Tired to kill us all. Alexei, he threw me to the side. Stood in front of the kids. I thought the thing would kill him, but Elle...used her powers, shoved it back, right as he closed the door."

"Now I think they gave you too much medication," I announced, and stood up. "Let me get a nurse..."

"Then the other day. Saved one of the doctor's people. Army guy. Mindflayer looked right at him. Door closed....safe for now." Murray's voice began to slur. "Hero, Sarah. Picked a good one...this time..."

"Okay, I'm going to..."

"Wait! This is important." Murray beckoned me to come closer. "Seriously."

"I'm right here," I assured him, getting closer until I was standing right next to the hospital bed.

Murray looked right at me, his eyes bloodshot and half-lidded. "Monsters are real, Sarah. There are other dimensions...Alexei...can find them. Help save us. But...you have to help keep yourself safe too. Because...you're my family."

I smiled and took his hand. "I love you too. And I'll be careful, okay? I've got Alexei, and that great new security system you both put in..."

"Karate." Murray smiled. "Told me you know karate. Threatened Alexei the first night you met him."

"Well, I lied about the karate, but I _do_ actually know self defense. I've been taking classes."

"Good girl." Murray closed his eyes. "Now get out of here. Visiting hours are almost over, and I need to sleep."

"You do." I kisses his forehead, and was about to leave when he grabbed my hand. 

"Sarah."

I turned. "Yeah?"

"I need you to do something for me. This is very important." He squeezed my hand.

I sat on the bed next to him and covered his hand with mine. "Tell me."

"Do not...have sex...in my bedroom."

"Oh my god!"

"I'm serious! I don't care what sort of kinky mess you two get up to, but stay out of the room that I sleep in!"

"We're leaving!" I stood up and grabbed Alexei's hand. "Say goodbye for today!"

 _"Ne trakhay moyu dvoyurodnuyu sestru v moyey posteli! Derzhis' podal'she ot moyey komnaty!"_ Murray yelled at Alexei.

 _"Chto za khren'?"_ Alexei asked incredulously before I dragged him away.

####

I was exhausted. The horror of seeing my beloved cousin collapse had wretched a scream from me that chilled even myself. Alexei had held me and spoke soothingly as I sobbed and watched helplessly as Murray was lifted into the ambulance. He'd been there, holding my hand while Murray was in surgery, stroking my hair. Alexei had been more loving and caring in a single day than my husband had been for our entire marriage.

We got to my car, and I sat in the driver's seat and clutched the steering wheel. It all hit me - Murray being rushed to the hospital, Alexei almost marrying Joyce, and the realization that I'd let my horrible marriage nearly destroy me. 

I'd almost lost my only family, and the man I was falling in love with.

Even worse, I'd almost lost myself.

The dam broke and I began sobbing, unable to stop even when Alexei reached over and held me for the millionth time that day, stroking my hair and humming under his breath.

We sat there for what felt like hours, until I finally found the strength to sit back and catch my breath.

"Sorry," I mumbled, and reached into my purse for a handful of tissues. I didn't even want to imagine what I looked like.

"No sorry," Alexei whispered, and kissed my hand. "Beautiful Sarah. Is okay."

I laughed despite myself. "You're too sweet." I sniffed. "Okay. Let's stop at Burger King or something, and go home. I'm about ready to pass out."

He grinned at me and kissed my hand again. "Beautiful," he murmured.

####

We grabbed burgers and fries and milkshakes, and ate in the parking lot. Once we got home I saw there were a few messages on my answering machine.

The first was from Lisa. She'd talked to Steve, and wanted to know about my "mystery man". The next was a hang up, and the third message was from Joyce, calling to let me know that they got home, and to call her when I had an update about Murray. 

The fourth was another hang up, but there was noise in the background, like wind. 

It gave me a bit of a chill, so I double checked all the doors and the security system until I felt better.

Once upstairs, I quickly got into my pajamas when Alexei went into his room to change, and grabbed my Russian translation book. I was flipping through it, trying to find a tactful way to say that I was too emotionally and physically exhausted to make love, but once he saw me Alexei gently took the book from me with a smile. He led me to my bed, pulled back the covers and climbed in, then reached for me. I crawled into his arms. He held me, gently stroking my hair and calling me beautiful until I started to doze.

Monsters are real, Murray had said, but I felt safer than I ever had before.


	15. Chain Reaction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Endless thanks to forgets_a_lot for help with Russian!
> 
> Also, I feel like I should add a warning, but I don't want to spoil anything. Let's just say there's a confrontation with a lot of cursing and the potential for violence, but none is actually threatened or committed. If you want me to change/add a better warning, let me know. ❤️

### Chain Reaction ###

The next morning I woke up alone. The sheets were rumpled, and the side that Alexei had claimed last night was cold. He'd been up for a while.

I stretched and reached for my alarm clock. 10:30 am. I hadn't slept this late in years. 

Once I got washed up, I went downstairs, carrying my translation book with me. Alexei was in the living room on the couch. He had the local news on, but his attention was focused on writing in his notepad.

"Hey," I said softly when I got close.

Alexei looked up and grinned at me. _"Dobroye utro, krasavitsa."_ He put the notepad aside and patted the space on the couch next to him.

I sat down and cuddled close. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me, gently stroking my hair. 

"So sweet to me," I murmured, and hugged him. 

_"Moya dorogaya,"_ he whispered, kissing my forehead.

I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes, feeling so safe and protected that I almost dozed again. There was something so soothing about Alexei. He felt like home.

His heartbeat quickened a bit when I nuzzled against him, basking in his warmth and sighing when he held me closer. "Sarah," he murmured tenderly, and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

The thought came suddenly, and the urge to say it. _I love you._

No. That was crazy. 

Were we moving too fast? I had only met Alexei about a week ago. I'd developed feelings for him very quickly. We'd already slept together. 

Was it too soon to think that I loved him?

I carefully disentangled myself from him and sat forward. My head was spinning.

"Sarah?" Alexei reached for me, gently rubbing my back. "Okay?"

I closed my eyes as Alexei began stroking my hair, his touch soothing me. He didn't try to rush me. He just kept rubbing my back and murmuring softly. 

"You're good to me," I sighed. "You're probably good _for_ me, too."

My parents had met at a party thrown by mutual friends, struck up a conversation, and left with each other's phone numbers. They had moved in together a couple of months later, were engaged shortly after, and married within the year.

It was too fast, their parents had told them. But my mother and father always replied with, "When you know, you know."

I knew I had something with Alexei. It had developed quickly as well. I didn't regret being with him, but there was no denying that I didn't know all that much about him.

Suddenly it struck me - I didn't even know Alexei's last name. 

"Holy shit." I grabbed my translation book and flipped to the near beginning. **Introductions.**

_Good god._

I turned to Alexei and read the question slowly. _"Kak tebya zovut?"_

He frowned in confusion. _"Menya zovut Aleksey."_

"Um. Yeah, but..." I pointed to myself. "Sarah Bauman. Bauman."

Alexei's eyes lit up with understanding. _"Familiya! Da."_ He put his hand on his chest. "Alexei Kazakov."

"Kazakov." I smiled. "It's a nice name."

####

We ate breakfast and cuddled on the couch, watching cartoons and studying our books together during the commercials. Alexei didn't try to seduce me, even though he gave my body a few appreciative glances. Sex was something that he seemed comfortable letting me control.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, we got ready to head back to the hospital, grabbing lunch on the way. 

"Let's see if my cousin is behaving himself," I muttered, and took Alexei's hand as we walked into the building.

The doctor had told me that it would take at least a couple of weeks for Murray to recover from his surgery, most likely a month or even longer. With Alexei's citizenship not being such a pressing issue, he could focus on healing. Of course, that was assuming he wouldn't get himself worked up about something else...which was typical Murray behavior.

We walked down the hall and rounded the corner, and then I could hear Murray shouting.

"Oh god." I sighed. So much for getting along with his roommate.

Alexei squeezed my hand, and I leaned close to him as we approached Murray's room.

"...a complete idiot! Profoundly moronic, insufferable idiot!"

I winced, ready to admonish my cousin and apologize to the poor woman he was berating, but then I heard another voice.

"How do they find these people? Do they put out an ad? 'Only the thunderously stupid should apply'?"

Murray laughed, and I hurried into the hospital room.

The TV was set to a game show, which shocked me, as Murray hated them. He was sitting up in bed, snacking on jello, and casting a sideways grin at the woman in the other hospital bed. _Vanessa_ , I remembered.

She looked up and noticed us first. "Are we being too loud? Sorry."

"This is my cousin, Sarah," Murray said, and beckoned for me to come closer. "And Alexei, of course. And this -" he pointed his spoon at his roommate and beamed at her, "- is Vanessa."

"Nice to meet you. _Priyatno poznakomit'sya._ " Vanessa smiled at us and gestured at the tray in front of her. "I'd offer you something to eat, but then you'd be sick too."

Murray chuckled warmly. "You're just mad because they gave me red jello and you got the green kind."

"Don't remind me," she groaned. 

"You speak Russian?" I asked numbly, still shocked by the chumminess between Murray and Vanessa.

"Yeah, a little." Vanessa waved her hand around like it was nothing. 

"Vanessa's a musician. She speaks five languages," Murray bragged.

"Oh. Wow." _Am I the only one who doesn't speak Russian?_ I cleared my throat. "Well, I'm glad you two are..."

 _"Slyshal chto-nibud' ot nikh?"_ Murray asked Alexei. I managed not to roll my eyes at being interrupted and left out.

Alexei shook his head. _"Poka net."_

Murray shrugged and smiled. "We'll get it figured out."

I was almost dumbfounded. _Who are you?_ I wanted to ask him. _Who is this version of Murray?_ "Um, yeah. So, you get discharged soon..."

"I get out tomorrow. I've been here a while. Got my tubes tied." Vanessa turned to Murray and they air high-fived. "No kids out of this lady!"

"Oh. Um..."

"Oh yeah, you like kids, right? Sorry. But anyway, I get out soon, and I told Murray I could give him a ride to your place. If that works for you," she added.

I stared at her in amazement. "Um, sure. If that's okay with you, Murray...?"

He grinned. "Yeah. Vanessa was the one who suggested it, actually."

Vanessa was giving him a warm smile that seemed more than just friendly. I bit my lower lip to keep from grinning. "Sounds like a plan."

####

"Unbelievable," I muttered as we got in the car. "He's got a friend. Maybe even a freaking girlfriend! My cousin, who hates everyone!"

Alexei frowned at me in confusion. 

"Oh. Sorry, baby." I froze, then realized he wouldn't understand my term of endearment slip. "Uh. I mean. Hold on." I'd marked the sections in my translation book and skipped to the relationship section. "Um. Vanessa... _Eta Vanessa, ona podruga? Yego devushka?_ "

Alexei chuckled, and consulted his own book. "She is...a good friend. Maybe a partner. Lover."

I giggled. "Maybe not yet, but...yeah." I scoffed to myself as I started the car. "Should have told him that they're not allowed to screw in my bedroom."

####

I pulled into a gas station on the way home, apologizing when I had to explain to Alexei that they weren't a 7/11 and therefore probably didn't have Slurpees. "I'll be quick," I promised him, and ran inside to pay.

Once inside, I looked around the store to see if they had anything that resembled a Slurpee, but nothing looked passable. 

The line wasn't too long, but after a couple of minutes I wondered if I should just get gas another time. I looked outside to see how Alexei was doing, figuring he might be getting bored.

A group of men were standing outside my car. 

My stomach clenched. I reached into my purse and I hurried outside. One man was yelling to his friend and pointing at Alexei, who was still in the car and looking confused.

"What's going on?" I demanded, and everyone turned to look at me. 

"This your car?" The guy who was berating Alexei glared at me. He had a denim vest on and no shirt. 

"Yeah, it is." I stepped forward, taking out the switchblade Murray had given me on my thirteenth birthday. I'd never had to wield it before. "Get the fuck away from my car."

"You've got a goddamn Commie in your front seat," Denim Vest snarled while his buddies backed away. 

"He's my boyfriend," I snapped.

Denim Vest stepped forward, looking me up and down with a nasty smirk. "Pretty girl like you too good for American men?"

Suddenly Alexei got out of the car and slammed the door shut. _"Otoydi ot neyo,"_ he snarled.

Denim Vest whirled on him, and I was ready to run forward when someone flashed their brights at us. We all froze.

A few young men got out of their car, approaching quickly. All of us, even Denim Vest, were taken aback by their appearance. They were punks - mohawks, leather jackets, earrings.

_Holy shit._

One punk with a red mohawk hurried forward. "You okay, miss?" he asked, giving Denim Vest a death glare.

Denim Vest pointed at him. "This doesn't concern you."

"Eat shit, fuckface," one of the punks retorted. 

"This motherfucker's a Commie!" Denim Vest shouted, pointing at Alexei. 

"And you're a fucking fascist pig." Mohawk took another step forward. "Leave them alone."

Denim Vest looked around, then spat on the ground. "Freaks," he mumbled, then stormed away, his buddies quickly following him.

The punks taunted him, yelling "Nazi punks fuck off!" and "Fascist pig!" until Denim Vest and his friends had gotten in his car and sped away. 

I hurried over to Alexei, who pulled me into his arms, held me tightly and breathed my name. He was slightly shaking. 

"Are you two okay?" Mohawk asked, his friends flipping off gawking spectators.

"We're okay," I managed, and put away my switchblade. "Thank you. Really."

He smiled and shrugged. "It's cool." He nodded at Alexei, then left to join his friends, who were already heading into the store, whooping and yelling at him that it was his turn to buy cigarettes.

"God." I hugged Alexei and sighed shakily. "Let's go home, baby."

####

The ride home was silent. I gripped the steering wheel so hard that my hands hurt.

What if I hadn't come out in time? What if those punks hadn't shown up?

I couldn't even let myself think about the possibilities. 

Once I parked, we quickly went inside, and as soon as I locked the door and set the security system up, Alexei reached for me. 

I kissed him with abandon, my hands pulling at his clothes and running through his hair. I kissed him like I was drowning, and he was my only source of air. 

He growled into my mouth and picked me up, carrying me up the stairs to my bedroom. I nearly squeaked in surprise at his strength, but then remembered his toned figure...his arm muscles, his shoulders...

"Fuck me," I gasped, and he set me on the bed and crawled on top of me.

Our clothes were nearly torn off as we pulled at each other, desperate to feel each other. It was reassurance - every touch, every kiss. It was a promise. 

We started slow, not wanting to end it too soon, but the intensity was too much for us, and soon the bed was shaking. It was incredible, but I wanted more. I needed more.

"Please," I begged, arching against him. "Please, please, I need it hard, give it to me hard tonight..."

He seemed to understand, as his thrusts became harder, faster, the bed slamming against the wall.

I screamed and writhed as I came, my legs shaking around him. He groaned into my neck, still fucking me at an intoxicating pace. Soon I could only moan his name over and over, chanting in near-prayer. "Alexei... Alexei..."

"Sarah," he moaned, and then pushed himself deep inside me. I gasped, then sighed in satisfaction as he climaxed, shuddering on top of me.

"God yes. Mmm...Beautiful," I murmured, stroking his hair as he nearly collapsed. "Mmm. So beautiful. My Alexei."

 _"Moya dorogaya,"_ he mumbled, wrapping his arms around me. 

I smiled, gently caressing his back as Alexei shivered and breathed heavily. He was still inside me. I kissed his forehead, finding the urge for the second time that day to say something to him.

_I love you._

"I'll keep you safe," I whispered instead, and held him tight as we breathed together.


	16. Some Like it Hot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much thanks to forgets_a_lot for helping with Russian!

### Some Like it Hot ###

I woke to soft kisses along my forehead, and gentle murmurs in a language I didn't understand, but was learning to love. 

I smiled and stretched, giggling when my lover's hands ran down my body. "Mmm. Morning, baby."

Alexei whispered something and kissed down my stomach. 

"Ah! Tickles!" I squealed and writhed as he chuckled and drummed his fingertips over my hips. "Baby! No more!"

He relented and rested his head on my stomach, watching me curiously. "Baby?"

"Um, yeah." I squirmed to get my translation book, and he crawled forward to retrieve his as well. I curled up on my side and giggled as he cuddled up behind me, watching as I flipped through pages to get to a section for relationships. I found a collection for terms of endearment and pointed. "Baby...lover, sweetheart."

He giggled softly and kissed my shoulder, then pointed at a translation for "my darling". _"Moya dorogaya,"_ he said softly, stroking his hand down my waist.

"You're sweet," I sighed, and moaned when his hands began to wander. "Alexei...baby..."

We made love slowly, almost sleepily. Afterwards we dozed a bit in each other's arms and when we woke later, a thought occurred to me. Lisa had given me the condoms as a sort of gag gift - she didn't get a big box.

I sat up, opened the nightstand drawer, took out the box of condoms and shook it. One packet fell out.

Alexei looked up at me and raised his eyebrows.

"We need to go shopping," I told him.

####

After our shower, Alexei went to his room to get dressed, and I began looking through my closet for something light to wear. I found a dress I liked - soft cotton, simple, blue - one that Graham had hated.

"You look so plain in it," he'd comment whenever he saw me in it. 

I'd worn it to our divorce hearing. 

I was dressed and almost ready when Alexei came back into the bedroom. He looked at me and grinned. 

"Beautiful," he said softly, and giggled when I ran forward to kiss him.

####

The drugstore fascinated Alexei. He happily scoured the candy aisle and snuck in a second box of condoms to our basket with a sly grin. I laughed and took his hand, feeling a delicious thrill when he interlaced our fingers together.

When we got back to the car, I realized that I hadn't planned anything for dinner. We'd had leftover syrniki for breakfast, and I thought cooking together might be fun. They might have Russian cookbooks, and maybe I could find more books about learning the language.

I took out my book and found the word for library. _"Biblioteka."_

Alexei nodded and gave me a thumbs up.

Once we were inside I took his hand again and led him to the language aisle. I found a couple of Russian language books, and spotted one focused on intimate relationships. 

_That's us,_ I thought, suddenly felt a jolt of dread in the pit of my stomach. 

_Intimate...Too much, too fast?_

_Should I have slept with him already?_

_Too late now..._

"Sarah?" Alexei frowned and squeezed my hand. "Okay?"

"It's fine," I said softly, and put the books in my canvas bag. 

He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it, giving me a sweet smile. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him, breathing in his scent. He returned my hug and rubbed my back soothingly.

I liked him. What we had...it was still growing. Being upset at myself wouldn't help anything. 

We were together, and that's what we both wanted.

"C'mon," I whispered, and led him down the rows to the cooking section. Luckily, their international cooking selection was vast, and I found a cookbook titled "Traditional Russian Meals". When I showed it to Alexei, he nodded excitedly and gave me a thumbs up.

"Okay, we'll definitely get this one...and this, too." I grabbed another book titled "Cooking for Couples" and we headed to the check out.

The librarian was a young woman who was very polite, but kept sneaking admiring glances at Alexei. I tried not to smirk, but ended up giggling to myself as we walked to the car. Alexei gave me a curious look, and once we were buckled in, I managed to cobble together an explanation from my translation book. "Um. Let's see...she liked you... you're cute...here it is." I spoke slowly, hoping I wasn't butchering the pronunciation too much. _"Ty yey ponravilsya. Ty simpatichnyy."_

Alexei looked back at the library, then at me, then chuckled. He consulted his book and read from it. "I like you. Only you. You are beautiful."

"So sweet." I kissed his cheek, then paused when I heard a group of teenagers laughing as they got out of their car. One of them spotted us and gave us a sarcastic wave as they walked into the library. My gut tightened in fear, thinking of what had happened last night. I looked through my book again and found a way to ask Alexei about it.

Alexei's expression darkened, and he carefully looked through his book, and slowly read from it as he found the words he was looking for. "The man...asked me something. I said...'I don't speak English'. He said...'Russian'. Called me a name. The man talked to his friends...you arrived."

"Oh, baby. I'm sorry." I leaned forward and kissed him, and when he hummed into my mouth and began stroking my hair, I gently broke away. "Mmm. Let's go home. We don't need to start making out in the parking lot in front of strangers," I added under my breath.

"Home," Alexei agreed, and squeezed my leg.

####

Once we got home, we had lunch and looked over the Russian cookbook. Alexei pointed at a recipe for borscht, and after I checked to make sure we had the ingredients, I figured it was late enough in the day to call Murray's hospital room.

"Are you staying out of my room?" Murray demanded as soon as he picked up.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, of course."

"Good. By the way, Vanessa's picking me up tomorrow, so no need to come here."

I nodded. "Okay, what time will you be..."

"We'll be going back to her place, actually."

"Whoa, what?"

"You hear me perfectly!" Murray shouted. "She's renting a place that's only a couple of miles from your house. It's fine."

"Good god." I collapsed into the couch next to Alexei, who was watching a game show with great interest. "Murray, you just met her."

"And how long ago did you meet Alexei?"

I winced. "Look, I'm not trying to..."

"Spare me! Spare me. Enjoy your sex life, leave me to mine, and stay out of my things!" He hung up before I could reply.

"Unbelievable." I hung up the phone and rubbed my eyes. What was happening in my crazy life?

"Sarah?" Alexei patted my leg. "Murray okay?"

"Yeah...Murray and Vanessa." I raised my eyebrows, which made him grin.

 _"Moy drug nashel sebe vozlyublennuyu,"_ he murmured, and pulled me close to sit in his lap. _"A moya vozlyublennaya pryamo zdes'."_ His lips kissed along my neck, making me sigh. _"Ty zamechatel'nyy,"_ he whispered, hugging me against his chest and nuzzling at my shoulder.

I sighed and settled against him, squirming a bit on his lap, and he drew in a sharp breath. 

_Hmm._

Feeling wicked, I squirmed again, a little more deliberately. He placed his hands on my hips and breathed in deeply.

"Sarah," he whispered.

I bit my lower lip and began moving on top of him, slowly rocking my hips against him. Alexei groaned and tightened his hold on me. I could feel him getting hard under my thighs, and I got an idea.

I turned off the TV, then stood in front of him and slowly took off my dress and removed my bra. Alexei watched me with wide eyes, then hurriedly removed his shirt and moved to stand, but I shook my head and gently pushed him back down onto the couch. 

He grinned as I climbed into his lap, kissing me slowly and letting his hands wander. I let him cup and gently squeeze my breasts, pulling me close so he could kiss and suck. 

"Oh god." I shivered with delight, but there was something that I really wanted to do. I leaned down, kissed him and then pulled away. 

Alexei frowned with confusion, then his eyes widened when I got in my knees in front of him.

"Haven't done this in a while," I murmured, and gently pulled at his jeans. I hesitated, and looked up at him. "Stop?"

He quickly shook his head.

I grinned. "Okay. I'll keep going." I reached forward, carefully unbuttoned his jeans, then slowly lowered the zipper. He murmured something to himself as I pulled his jeans and boxers down and off, lifting his hips to help. I took him in my hand, marvelling once again at his size, then leaned close to kiss along his length. 

His breathing quickened into near gasps as I began licking at him, gently tugging him at the same time. 

"Good?" I asked carefully, then nearly purred when he stroked my face and my hair.

"Good," he managed, then drew in a sharp breath when I gave him a gentle squeeze.

"Has anyone ever done this for you before?" I asked softly, unsure of how much he understood me - I just wanted him to hear my voice and let it soothe him. The way his entire body was shaking, I wasn't sure if it was his first experience with this or if he was just incredibly turned on. Or maybe he was like me, and hadn't been with someone in a long time.

"Let yourself enjoy it," I whispered, and ran my tongue along his skin, feeling emboldened by his soft whimpers and moans. I moved down, slowly licking from the base of his cock to the head, laughing softly when he lifted his hips to keep the sensation going. 

_Enough teasing._ I took a deep breath and moved closer. This wasn't about doing something that I hadn't done in years. It was about wanting Alexei to feel pleasure. I wanted him to feel it. I wanted to be the reason he lost his inhibitions. 

I kissed at his tip, then moved my lips down, sucking slowly and gently as I moved my mouth down.

 _"Bozhe moy,"_ Alexei gasped, then cried out as I swirled my tongue against him, still lowering my mouth around him. _"Da..."_

I hummed, which made him whimper and shiver a bit. His hands shook as he caressed my hair. 

Slowly I moved my mouth up and down on him, licking at his hard length and gently sucking. Alexei gasped my name, panting and moaning as I moved just a little faster.

The bitter taste of precum coated my tongue and I moaned. I wanted him to come. I wanted to feel it and taste it. My hands gently squeezed his base as I kept moving my mouth on him, up and down, up and down, swallowing around him.

Alexei began shaking. He was close. I moaned at the thought, and he gasped in response to the sensation. "S-Sarah..." He cried out, just as warm bitterness filled my mouth, and I moaned again and began to swallow. Alexei muttered something in Russian that sounded like a curse and groaned as I kept swallowing. He exhaled, running his hands through my hair as I gently sucked at him, not wanting to cause overstimulation but wanting to taste every drop of him. 

He winced slightly, and I carefully pulled away, watching him. Alexei was trying to catch his breath, moaning softly as he recovered. I sat back, rubbing his legs soothingly.

After a few moments, he groaned and stretched. _"Eto bylo neveroyatno,"_ he murmured.

I grinned. "Good?" 

Alexei chuckled. "Good." He stroked the side of my face, gently rubbing his thumb over my lips, then patted his lap.

I carefully straddled him, not wanting to give too much contact to his sensitive skin. He pulled me close for a gentle, chaste kiss, then eased me down on the couch. I giggled as moved up and kissed my legs, my knee, my thigh...

"Y-You don't have to..." I mumbled, then gasped as he licked at the sensitive skin behind my knee. 

He grinned up at me and kissed my leg. "Bed." 

I nodded and got up, taking his hand and letting him lead me upstairs. 

Once we got to the bedroom, Alexei gestured to the bed and gave me a wicked grin as I crawled backwards onto the bed, watching him get on his hands and knees and crawl toward me.

"God, you're sexy," I whispered, shivering when he pulled off my underwear and began kissing up my legs. He rested his head on my hip and rubbed my thighs, then teasingly ran his fingertips over me, gently pushing at me.

I whimpered and squirmed a bit, and he slowly slipped his fingers inside me, watching me carefully. 

"Oh god." I inhaled shakily, grabbing at my sheets. 

Slowly he moved his fingers around, exploring. I moaned as he curled his fingertips against me, caressing in circles. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My heart was pounding so hard that I felt dizzy. 

Alexei murmured something and kissed my hip, moving over and down until he was breathing against me. He placed a gentle, almost teasing kiss between my legs, and I winced, trying not to jolt against him.

 _"Prekrasnaya,"_ , he whispered, and moved closer, kissing me again, and again.

I moaned and writhed, unable to help myself. He chuckled, and the warm breath of air made me shiver. Alexei kissed me slower, then opened his mouth and pressed his tongue against my entrance.

"Oh god." I tried to slow my breathing. "Oh god, oh god."

He moaned, and the vibrations sent a thrill through me. His tongue pressed hard, over and over, then darted around and slipped inside. He moaned again, reaching up with his free hand and stroking my breasts.

"Holy shit." I was grinding against his face now, unable to stop myself. "Oh god. Alexei..."

He looked up at me and moved his mouth up, running his tongue against my clit and he stroked me deep inside with his fingers.

"Holy...fuck. oh god. Oh my god." My jaw dropped and my heart pounded even faster. 

Alexei kissed at me, then moved his tongue faster, pressing in hard little circles. My legs started shaking, and my hands balled into fists. I was going to come.

His tongue pressed harder against me, and I arched up, desperate for more. He began moving his fingers faster, more insistent, reaching deep inside me.

My orgasm hit me hard and I nearly convulsed, shouting his name as he moaned and kept moving. Another wave of pleasure hit me and I shook, then gently pushed him away when I felt like I couldn't take anymore.

I lay exhausted while he withdrew, soothingly rubbing and kissing my legs.

"Good?" he murmured once I was able to breathe somewhat normally.

I mumbled something in response, and he chuckled and kissed my thigh. _"Ya tebya obozhayu."_

####

We made love again, and when he went downstairs to get his discarded clothes, I threw on casual clothes and looked into my closet.

I wasn't too into fashion, but Graham felt like we needed a walk in closet. It had been half empty for years. 

When Alexei walked in, I showed him the closet, pointing to the empty section my husband once occupied. 

He looked at me curiously, then grinned, and went back to his room to get his things. 

Maybe it was too much, too soon. Maybe it was just temporary. I didn't care - when I saw him hang up his shirts in the closet, I felt a spark of joy that I hadn't felt in a very long time.

####

Alexei made tea once we went downstairs, and I set about getting things prepped for dinner. I didn't get far when the phone rang.

"Sarah?" Jim breathed once I answered. "It's Jim. Have you heard from our kids?"

My stomach plummeted. "No, not since you left...what happened?"

"It's Elle, and Will." Jim cursed under his breath. "They're gone. Max took Jonathan's car and she's driving them somewhere. The other kids don't know where."

"Oh my god." I sank onto the couch. 

"Yeah, and we heard from Dr. Owens...is Murray home from the hospital yet?"

"No, he gets out tomorrow."

Jim sighed. "Billy showed up in Colorado at a... research facility. He attacked some of Dr. Owens's colleagues, and one man was killed."

"Holy shit," I whispered.

"We think Max might be trying to track him down with Elle and Will's help." Jim sighed. "I've made calls, but no one's seen anything yet."

"God." I took a deep breath. "God, I'm sorry. I'll definitely let you know if I hear from them...if you and Joyce need to come here again, you're more than welcome." 

"Thanks." Jim sounded exhausted. "Joyce is a wreck right now. To be honest, so am I."

"Of course." I had no idea what else to say. "I'll call you the second I hear anything, if I hear anything."

"We appreciate it." Jim sighed again. "I've gotta go. Thanks again, Sarah."

Alexei noticed how stressed I was, and I found a way to partially explain using my translation book. He mumbled something under his breath and held his hand to his face, mimicking a phone. "Murray?"

"I'll call him." I reached for the phone just as it rang. Quickly I picked it up, hoping it was the kids or Jim with good news.

All I could hear was static, and the sound of faint breathing.

"Hello?" A chill ran through me. "Hello? Elle? Max? Will?"

The call went dead, and my heart dropped.


	17. Invitation to Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to forgets_a_lot for helping with the Russian!

### Invitation To Dance ###

I stared at the phone, my hands tightening on the cool plastic. There was dead silence. The soft sounds from before - the breathing, the wind - were gone. 

Two soft clicks, then the shrill beeps of the off hook tone jolted me out of my thoughts. I slammed the phone down, trying not to shake.

"Sarah?" Alexei whispered. 

"I don't know," I murmured, staring at the phone. "I don't know who it was."

He approached me carefully, slipping an arm around my waist. "Will be okay," he said softly.

I wasn't so sure.

"Murray." I rubbed my temples. "You need to talk to Murray." 

Alexei rubbed my back, murmuring something in Russian that I couldn't pick up. Just hearing his voice settled me a bit.

"I'm okay. It'll be okay." I picked up the phone and called the hospital. "It'll all be okay."

Once Alexei began talking to Murray, I went into the kitchen to have more tea. Alexei had taken out cookies to go with our tea, but I wasn't hungry. I wasn't thirsty either, but I needed something to warm the chill I felt inside. Tea would help.

I heard Alexei mention the word he'd used the other day, when I'd asked Jim what had happened with Dr. Owens. _Vrata._ Doorway.

My hands cupped the warm mug. I shouldn't listen. There were things over my head. Murray was worried about my safety - he'd even developed a code to keep me in the dark. 

But now, I was involved. I was with Alexei. Murray was my family. These people had stayed or were staying in my home. I had a right to know.

I wasn't sure if I could ask Alexei what was going on. Plus, he was still learning English. And as much as Murray loved to tell me about what and who was corrupt, and what was real and what wasn't, this was beyond anything he'd investigated before. This was personal. 

_"Ya zakroyu vorota,"_ Alexei said insistently. _"Ya zakroyu vorota."_

I went to the living room, and picked up my book. _Zakroyu._ I muttered the word to myself a few times, flipping to the end of my book until I found the word and its meaning.

**Zakroyu - "I will close"**

And _vorota..._

My hands flipped through the pages so quickly they almost tore. _Vorota._ I found it.

**Vorota - "the gate"**

Alexei was saying, "I will close the gate."

"What the hell?" I muttered.

Before I could think over the possibilities, Alexei called me over to him and handed me the phone.

"Have you heard anything?" Murray asked as soon as I answered.

"No, not from the kids. But..."

"But what?" Murray demanded.

"I've been getting strange calls. Hang ups, at first, but then ones with weird background noises, like wind or static, or someone breathing."

Murray cursed under his breath. "Call Jim and Joyce. Have them stay with you again."

"Alexei's here," I argued. "Plus I have that security system you two out together."

"Jim is a cop with a gun! And I know you hate guns, but you still have that BB gun I got you, right? The 499 single-shot?"

I groaned and went to the front closet, where I'd stored the stupid thing. "Yeah, I have it."

"Keep it with you at all times! Have Alexei show you how to use it. I'm sure you have not been practicing like I've told you!"

I glanced at Alexei. "He can shoot a BB gun?"

"He doesn't love guns either but he's an excellent marksman."

"God." I slammed my closet door shut. "You know, I think I've had enough of this keeping me in the dark thing. Tell me what's going on."

"You could not possibly understand!" Murray shouted. "I'm hanging up now. Keep yourself safe. Don't do anything stupid!" With that, he hung up.

"Fantastic." I set the phone back in its cradle and sighed. 

"Sarah." Alexei came up behind me and put his arms around my waist. "Will be okay." He kissed my neck and held me, softly murmuring under his breath. I turned and rested my head against his chest, closing my eyes when he embraced me and stroked my hair.

I don't know how long we stood like that, just holding onto each other, but after a while he kissed my forehead and smiled at me. "Okay?"

I nodded, then reached up to stroke his face. "Beautiful," I whispered. 

He grinned at me and I took his hand, leading him into the kitchen. 

I consulted with the cookbook for the borscht recipe, but it soon became apparent that Alexei had his own recipe. I cooked the chopped beef and added broth, and Alexei had already gotten the potatoes and vegetables chopped and ready. He saw that I bought pre-chopped onions and gave me a thumbs up, then put them in the skillet with olive oil, humming to himself as he stirred.

As I watched him, something dawned on me; I'd never had a man cook for me before. 

Alexei sang to himself while he added the other ingredients, and I opened a bottle of wine and poured us each a glass. 

Once the ingredients were in the pot, he lowered the heat and checked his translation book to let me know how long we had. "Thirty minutes," he said slowly.

"Hmm." I took another sip of my wine and set my glass down. "I wonder what we should do in the meantime?" I raised an eyebrow and ran my hand down his chest. 

He set his wine glass down, gave me a wicked grin and took my hand, leading me to the couch.

####

The soup ended up simmering for a little past thirty minutes. We cuddled together on the couch after making love, just enjoying each other's skin. His touch soothed me - I felt at home next to him.

Eventually we got up and put our clothes back on, and as Alexei tasted the soup to make sure it was ready, I got an idea. We couldn't exactly converse during our meal, so I took out a couple of trays and set them up in front of the couch so we could watch TV while we had dinner. 

I realized that Alexei wouldn't be able to follow a sitcom, so I put in a VHS of Looney Tunes, much to his delight. _"Moye lyubimoye shou!"_ , he exclaimed when the opening credits began.

Dinner was delicious. I'd never had borscht before, but now it was a new favorite. We ate and laughed over the cartoons, giving each other affectionate smiles.

He helped clean up after dinner, putting the leftovers in the fridge and taking out cherry Italian ices for dessert. We sat back on the couch, watching more cartoons. Alexei gently massaged the back of my neck when I rested my head on his chest. His soft laughter soothed me, and I hugged him close.

_I could get used to this,_ I thought sleepily.

Another thought came immediately after. _You still don't know him that well._

_It's too much, too soon._

I concentrated on the feel of him next to me and pushed those thoughts away.

####

We watched cartoons until we got sleepy, then headed upstairs. After changing into pajamas, we cuddled in bed, too tired to make love. Alexei curled up next to me and nuzzled into my neck, breathing deeply.

We were dozing when the phone rang. 

"Hello?" I answered sleepily, suppressing a yawn.

"Sarah Bauman?"

I frowned at the unfamiliar male voice. "This is her."

"Sorry to call so late. This is Dr. Sam Owens." 

I sat up in bed, now fully awake. "Hello, yes. My cousin Murray has spoken with you, but he's not here right now. Can I help you with something?"

"Well, I do need to speak to him. But since I have you, is Dr. Alexei Kazakov available?"

"Um..." I turned to Alexei, who sat up and was putting on his glasses. "Yes, but he doesn't speak English."

"That's fine," Dr. Owens said warmly. "I actually have a translator here who's been working with him, and he'd like to speak to Dr. Kazakov."

"Uh, sure." I pointed to the phone, and Alexei nodded and took it from me. 

As soon as he started speaking, I got out of bed and quickly ran downstairs to grab my translation book. Maybe I could figure out more of what was going on by picking up what Alexei was saying. 

When I got back upstairs, I stood in the hallway to listen to Alexei's conversation. He was speaking too quickly for me to pick up on sentences, but I heard my name. I peeked in my bedroom to see Alexei pacing with the phone, saying _"okhranyat"_ in a determined, resolute tone. It was harder to find that word in my book, but I managed it.

**okhranyat - "to protect, or watch over"**

He was talking about protecting me again. But from what?

_"Ya ne znayu,"_ Alexei said a few times, sounding irritated. I cleared my throat, and he turned and gave me a relieved look.

"Sarah..." He pointed to the phone, and I stepped forward and took it. 

"Hello?" 

"Hello, Sarah." It was Dr. Owens again. "May I ask, how close are you to Carson City, Nevada?"

_What?_ "Um, I live in Woodside...it's about four and a half or five hours away. Is that where you are?"

"We're close. I'm asking because we might need Dr. Kazakov's help. But I don't want to keep you up, it's late. Thank you for taking the call!" Before I could react, he hung up.

"What in the hell...?" I hung up the phone and looked at Alexei. "What in the hell is going on?" I demanded, and pointed to his translation book, which was on the nightstand next to his side of the bed. "Find out a way to tell me. This is insane."

Before he could answer, the phone rang again. I nearly dove for it. "Hello? Dr. Owens?"

All I could hear was strange static, with clicks and wind in the background. 

"Elle? Max? Will? Can you hear me?" I tightened the grip on the phone. "Say something!"

Nothing. Just static, and wind.

And...breathing.

"Who is this?" I whispered. "Who the fuck is this? Why are you calling me?"

The breathing grew louder. Then...laughter. A soft low chuckle, then the call ended. 

"Jesus." I slammed the phone down, trying not to shake. 

"Sarah?" Alexei took a careful step forward.

I narrowed my eyes. "I want to know what's going on. No more codes, no more keeping me out." I pointed to his translation book again. "Look up every goddamn word if you have to. I don't care if it takes all night. This is out of fucking control!"

Alexei's eyes got wide and he held his hands up. _"Ya so vsem razberus. Vse budet otlichno. Oni obeshchali zashchitit' tebya."_

"Tell me!" I demanded, my eyes stinging with tears. "I can't do this anymore! I can't take this! Children are in danger!"

_"Ty budeth v bezopasnosti,"_ Alexei insisted. _"Ya zastavil ikh poobeshchat' eto."_

I raked my fingers through my hair in frustration. "Oh god, I can't understand you. I can't. I can't do this. Oh god, what was I thinking?" Panic seized me and I nearly sobbed. "Oh god, I'm an idiot...I never should have..."

Alexei stepped forward, reaching for me. _"Pozhaluysta, poslushay menya! Pozhaluysta, uspokoysya. Sarah..."_

"Don't." I stepped away from him, shaking my head. "Don't, don't. Just...stay away from me."

_"Ya lyublyu tebya!"_ Alexei shouted.

"I can't do this!" I shouted back, and left the room, slamming the door behind me. A sob escaped me as I hurried to the room that Jim and Joyce had stayed in. I shut and locked the door, then nearly collapsed into the floor and let myself cry.


	18. Can't Get There from Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spasibo (thanks) to forgets_a_lot for all of her help with the Russian! ❤️

### Can't Get There From Here ###

Everything ached. 

I stretched, then sat up slowly. My head was pounding. I'd fallen asleep on the floor, and now my entire body was stiff. With a soft groan I got to my feet, just breathing for a few minutes. 

The house was silent. For a second I wondered if I was alone, but where would Alexei go?

I needed to get out. I needed to think.

My body still aching, I moved forward, grabbing the door handle and carefully opening it. 

The house was bright. Sunlight filled every room. It was morning, still early.

I looked down and saw Alexei curled up in the hallway, his hand resting on his notepad and translation book. He'd fallen asleep, glasses still on his face, pen in hand. 

I gritted my teeth, ignoring the pang in my chest, and carefully walked around him. My curiosity got the better of me and I looked down to see what he had written. Not wanting to disturb him, I carefully bent down to make out the words.

**Door**

**other worlds**

**Protect...keep safe**

**Please**

**Love**

He stirred in his sleep, and I quickly stood crept away before he could wake. I hurried into my bedroom, closing and locking the door, pushing every thought away.

I showered slowly, trying to let the warm water soothe me. My mind wandered to the morning after the first night I'd spent with Alexei - the way he cupped my face and kissed me, the soft spray of the water around us...

_Stop. Stop thinking of him._

_You don't love him. It's just attraction. Lust, even._

_You don't know him._

When I got out and dried myself, a thought stopped me cold. We'd been safe  
and used condoms each time we had sex, but yesterday I let lust get the better of me and we'd fooled around without any kind of protection. What if I'd exposed myself to an STD?

_Shit._

I threw on some clothes and grabbed my translation book. Luckily they had a dating section, and it didn't mince words.

When I opened the door, Alexei had woken up and was adjusting his glasses. When he saw me, he stood up quickly.

I pushed back my affection and took a deep breath. "Okay. I need to ask you something."

"Sarah." Alexei stepped forward. "Sarah..."

I held a hand up. "Don't. Just..." I looked down at my book and found what I was looking for. **Have you been tested for STDs?**

I read slowly. _"Ty proveryalsya na ZPPP?"_

He frowned, then went into his room. I heard him rummaging through papers, then he came out and held up a piece of paper, handing it to me. 

"What..." I read the paper. It was a government form, in English. A clean bill of health, free of all diseases. 

"Okay." I breathed deeply. "Okay, I just..."

Alexei turned from me, heading back into his room and rustling through more papers.

"Fine. Okay." I went into my room, opened the drawer in my nightstand and took out the test results I'd gotten after filing for divorce. I hadn't been with anyone since Graham.

Paper in hand, I hurried to the hallway. "Here. Look. I'm clean too. We should have..." I stood in the doorway of his room, watching him rifle through his belongings. "What are you doing?"

_"Chto yeshche ty khochesh znat'?"_ Alexei demanded, not looking up from his paperwork. _"Ty khochesh znaet', kak moye pravitelstvo ugrozhalo mne? Oni ubili moikh roditeley."_ He spread out a stack of papers on the bed and pointed to them. _"Ya postroil klyuch. Ya mogu vyklyuchit' eto. Ya mogu zakryt' vorota."_

I stepped forward, looking at the papers. They were diagrams of a machine, something elaborate and complex. There were other drawings too...strange creatures, some on all fours and others on two legs. The creatures on all fours had heads like a tulip bulbs, and the ones that stood had splayed open faces with rows of teeth.

"What in the hell..." I looked up at him, confused. "I don't understand."

_"Ya ne dolzhen pokazyvat' tebe eto."_ Alexei muttered, and turned away, shaking his head. 

"Okay, so...you build military weapons? And these drawings...I don't get it, but..." I threw my hands up in frustration. "What does all of this shit mean? What does it have to do with the kids, and that girl's brother... Billy? And those goddamn phone calls I keep getting?"

Alexei turned to stare at me, his eyes heavy with emotion. _"Ya vlyubilsya v tebya,"_ he said softly. 

"I don't speak Russian," I snapped, and turned to leave. 

"Sarah! Please." Alexei hurried close, carefully resting his hands on my shoulders. "Please...give time."

"Time?" I whirled around. "Time for what? More bullshit?"

Alexei clenched his jaw. "Please. I will... give reason. Explain it."

I exhaled. "You've been studying," I said quietly. "To talk to me. Probably all night, until you fell asleep."

A glimmer of hope shone in his eyes, and he reached up to stroke my hair.

"Don't." I stepped back. "Don't, okay? I need to think."

The light in his eyes died out, and he nodded, his jaw working as he swallowed.

"We need Murray." I glanced at the clock on the wall. "Maybe he's still at the hospital."

I'd expected Alexei to follow me into my bedroom, but when I turned, he wasn't there. 

Murray picked up after the sixth ring. "Vanessa's picking me up this afternoon, dear cousin."

I scoffed. "How did you know it was me?"

"Who else would be calling me?"

"Fair enough." I breathed deeply. "We need to talk. Alexei's shown me papers... diagrams, but they don't make sense. I need you to translate him so he can tell me what's going on. I'm done guessing."

"What?" Murray's voice took on a sharp edge. "Put Alexei on." 

"No. We're coming over there, and you're going to translate and explain all this shit to me. I'm serious. If Vanessa gets there before we do, make her wait." I hung up before he could reply and headed into Alexei's room. 

"Hospital," I told him. "Murray."

He looked me over, then nodded.

####

When we walked into the hospital, Alexei reached for my hand. I pulled away, refusing to look at him when he muttered something under his breath.

It wasn't about punishing him, I told myself. It was just me trying to think clearly. My feelings for Alexei - whatever they were - had to be put aside. Finding out the truth was more important.

We reached Murray's room, and I walked in first, Alexei following me at a slight distance. "We need to talk," I informed my cousin. "I want to know everything."

Murray narrowed his eyes at me, then looked at Alexei. _"V chem delo?"_

_"Ona rasstroyena,"_ Alexei said flatly. _"Zlitsya na menya."_

_"Pochemu ona zlitsya na tebya? Chto ty natvori?"_

_"Ona khochet znat', chto proiskhodit!"_ Alexei shouted. _"Ya pytayus' skazat' yey, no teper' ona ne khochet govorit' so mnoy."_

_"Nyet!"_ Murray retorted. 

"Keep your voices down!" I glared at both of them. "And no more Russian. Speak English, Murray." 

_"Ne raskazyvai yey vsego,"_ Murray told Alexei, ignoring me. _"Ona tebe ne poverit. Ne duri."_

_"Ya yeye lyublyu!"_ Alexei nearly shouted. 

Murray closed his eyes and groaned. "Good god."

"Um." A gentle knock at the door made us all turn. Vanessa was hovering in the doorway, holding a few bags and small tray holding a couple of coffees. "Uh. Hello, everyone."

Murray sat up and smiled at her. "Hey there."

She gave him a warm smile, but then glanced at me. "Bad time? Should I go?"

I sighed and rubbed my neck. "No, we're fine. I'm sorry. I think...I think I need some air." 

Vanessa frowned and walked into the room, handing Murray a coffee and nodding at Alexei. "Need some company?" she asked me carefully, setting her bags down.

Something occurred to me - Vanessa spoke Russian. "Sure, yeah." 

"We'll be back soon," she promised Murray with a wink, then followed me into the hallway.

"Are you okay?" she asked once we walked to the end of the hall. "If you're not cool with Murray coming home with me, I can talk to him..."

"No, no, it's..." I stopped walking and leaned close. "This is going to sound insane, but I think Alexei and Murray are hiding something from me."

Vanessa's eyes widened. "Hiding something? Like what?"

"I know, it sounds insane, but Murray got involved with some military cover up thing this summer..."

"He mentioned something about that," Vanessa interjected.

I bit my tongue. Murray, the king of secrets, had spilled his guts to this woman. _He must be smitten._ "Yeah, I don't know much about it, but Alexei was involved. That's how they met, actually. So...feel free to say no, but...can you translate them for me?"

Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "You mean, you want me to stand in the hallway, listen to them talking in Russian, and translate for you?"

She cut right to the chase. I could see why she and Murray got along. "Yeah. That's what I'm asking."

"Huh." A sly smile spread across her face. "Yeah. Let's do it."

"Really?" Her calm reaction was almost a blessing. "It doesn't bother you?"

Vanessa shrugged. "If they're hiding something from you, that's not cool. I'd want to know, too. Hell, I _do_ want to know." She put her arm around my shoulders and crept up the hallway. Once we stood close to the doorway, she turned to me and winked, putting her finger to her lips.

I smiled, leaning against the wall. I could hear Murray and Alexei talking - Murray's exasperated tone and sighs, Alexei speaking softly, almost muttering - and watched Vanessa, who was listening with a frown. 

"Alexei is worried about you," she said softly. "He said he's tried to talk to you but you won't listen."

I clenched my jaw. "I'm not...it's not that simple."

"Hey, it's okay." She smiled. "Sometimes we just have to figure stuff out, right?"

I nodded, ignoring the tightening in my throat. "What, um, are they saying now?"

Vanessa tilted her head as the men spoke, then shook her head. "I think they're using metaphors? Or a code."

"A code?"

"Yeah. What they're saying makes no sense." Her brow furrowed. "Something happened in Nevada. There was a guy named Billy...he got another guy...under his influence... guidance. He's looking for a girl...she has power. What?" She exhaled. "Now Murray's talking about a girl who's going to kill a monster with her...mind powers. Alexei...he's saying they need him, meaning himself. He's... essential." Her eyebrows lifted. "Alexei's talking about you again. Saying you...you gave him hope. You...aww." She smiled. "You made him feel like he belongs here. He...had nothing. Now...oh." Her smile faded. "Now he's not sure if you still want him. Alexei thinks you have... sorrow...regret."

I winced. "I'm not trying to...God, I don't even know."

"Hey." Vanessa put her hands on my shoulders. "Hey, it'll be okay. Listen, if you need time to yourself, that's okay."

"I'm not sure I know what I need," I confessed. "It's all so fast."

Vanessa grinned. "I hear you. I know I just met him, but I got to know Murray really well. Both of us lying there, with nothing to do but watch bad tv and talk." She smiled wistfully. "Murray read from the books that you got him. He bragged about you, said he was proud of you kicking your asshole husband to the curb. From what he told me, he wasn't expecting you and Alexei to get together, but it made sense to him. Murray said you're both generous, joyful people, and if there was anyone good enough for his beloved cousin, it was Alexei." 

"He said that?" I whispered.

Vanessa nodded, then stepped forward, her expression serious. "Do you want me to tell Murray to go home with you two? Are you going to be okay?"

For a moment, I considered it. Having Murray there would give someone for me and Alexei to talk to. 

But it wouldn't be right. I needed to try to talk to Alexei, even if it was difficult. He wanted to explain things to me, and I had to be willing to listen.

"No...no, but thank you. Murray will be happier not being a translator for a while, I think." I smiled. "Plus, he really likes you." 

Vanessa's eyes lit up. "I could tell Murray was special once we started talking. Maybe we're going a little fast, but...I want to get to know him better. Preferably not in a hospital room." She chuckled, then glanced at the doorway. "Ready to go back inside?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Thank you, really."

"Any time." She stepped aside and gestured to the door. "Ladies first."

####

We walked in just as Alexei was mumbling something to Murray. He was staring at the floor, arms crossed, looking almost sullen.

Murray looked up, eyes darting from Vanessa to me, and then back. "Well?"

"I'm fine." I glanced at Alexei, then looked away. "We should go."

Vanessa gave me her address and phone number, and after I made Murray promise to call if he needed anything ("Yes, mother dearest! Run off now, please!"), Alexei and I headed back home. 

I was still unsure of everything. I was mad at myself for letting my emotions get the best of me, and for allowing myself to get so attached to someone so quickly. 

_Just like with Graham. You got swept off your feet. Be an adult._

_No, it's different with Alexei. He's different._

_It may be soon, but you love him._

My hands tightened on the steering wheel. I didn't know what to think. 

Alexei was practically radiating vibes of irritation. He stared out the window while we drove home, and when we got to the house he slammed his door shut and stomped up to the door while I got my keys. 

"Wait a second, jeez." I turned the key and looked at him. "I still want to know the truth."

He glanced at me, his jaw clenched. 

"What, you're mad?" I opened the door but stood in front of it, my skin feeling hot. Why was _he_ angry? "Look at me. Alexei!"

He raised his gaze, eyes narrowed.

My heart sank, but I glared at him. "Are you feeling sorry for yourself, or are you just mad that I'm not fucking you?"

He stepped back, crossing his arms. 

"Fine." I moved aside. "There. I'm not in your way."

He muttered something as he walked past me, and I slammed the door shut behind him. 

"Stop acting like a child!" I shouted as he stormed up to his room. "Hey!" I followed him, my heart pounding as I stood in the doorway, watching him toss the papers on his bed to the floor. "What the hell? Are you seriously..."

Alexei whirled around. "I love you!"

I froze, staring at him. "What?"

He slumped onto the bed, his shoulders hunched. He looked broken. "I...love you," he mumbled. "You...do not."

Everything stopped. All the thoughts I'd had about moving too fast...none of it mattered. This man loved me. I didn't doubt it for a second.

I wouldn't doubt myself anymore, either.

_We love each other. It's real._

"Alexei," I whispered, and rushed forward, gathering him in my arms. 

He tensed, then carefully reached up, placing uncertain hands around my waist. 

"I'm sorry," I murmured, stroking his hair. He inhaled shakily. "God, I'm sorry. I'm a mess. Alexei..." I broke away, cupping his face. He stared up at me, eyes wide with uncertainty and fear.

"Alexei," I said softly. "I love you too. I love you. I love you."

His eyes brightened with joy, and he grinned at me. I laughed and held him close, and we fell backwards onto the bed, giggling and holding each other.

####

I woke up, confused about my surroundings at first, but then turned to see Alexei dozing peacefully next to me. We'd held each other, whispering "I love you" until we'd settled into a restful sleep. Neither of us had gotten enough sleep the night before, it seemed.

Slowly I moved over, picking up some of the diagrams he'd shown me earlier. I looked them over, still unsure of what they meant. Was Vanessa right? Was all this a code, or a metaphor?

Alexei murmured and yawned, blinking at me sleepily when I looked back at him. "Sarah?"

"I'm here." I scooted over, leaning against him and resting my head on his chest. He sighed and put his arm around me. 

"I love you," he whispered.

"Love you too." I smiled up at him. "I'm ready to listen," I told him softly, and pointed to the papers. "Tell me what all of this means."


	19. Left of the Dial

### Left of the Dial ###

After a series of confusing attempts at a conversation, I realized that Vanessa's conclusion that Murray and Alexei were talking in code or metaphors had to be right. Alexei was patient, and kept trying to tell me that the drawings were of a machine he'd built, and creatures that were from another world. They could control people, and even transform them into monsters themselves. 

It was a metaphor, I realized, for military weapons. 

The Russian government needed the best minds in the country to aid in their research, and they tracked Alexei down. He'd been living by himself, researching engineering methods and physics, supporting himself by teaching and publishing. The government came for him, and his mentor, Yuri Slavinsky. The two scientists were then taken to a research facility, and were told that they had a mission - create a machine that can open a door between worlds. If they failed, or refused, they and their families would be killed. 

Yuri had been told that he had until June of last year to make the machine work. It almost did, but then there was an accident. Yuri was murdered in front of Alexei, and he was told that he had one year to correct his mentor's mistakes.

I held him after he managed to tell me, stroking his hair and whispering to him. Alexei breathed deeply and wrapped his arms around me as he spoke.

His research led him to Hawkins, Indiana. He was being held captive in a basement at a farm, and this is where Jim and Joyce found him. 

Alexei closed the gate, with help from them and Murray. He said that Jim's daughter Elle had saved them with her powers.

"I tell the truth. No lies." Alexei nuzzled against me as he put his translation book down. "Believe me. Please. I love you."

"I love you too." None of it made sense. It had to be details getting lost in translation, because Alexei spoke with so much conviction and emotion. He was telling the truth, or the truth as he knew it. 

I kissed his forehead and smiled at him when he looked up at me hopefully. "I love you. I believe you." I looked through my book and found a way to tell him. _"Ya veryu tebe."_

He smiled, eyes dancing with relief and joy. It made my heart soar to see it. "I love you. _Ya lyublyu tebya,"_ he said softly, and kissed my hand.

####

We were in a desperate need for a break, so we had lunch and looked through the Russian cookbook for dinner ideas for tomorrow. Alexei looked through the cookbook, then found a recipe for Olivier salad and pointed it out to me.

"Looks great," I told him, and kissed his cheek. 

_"Moya babushka lyubila salat Oliv'ye,"_ Alexei remarked, looking down at the recipe.

"Your grandmother." It was probably the only Russian word that I already knew. I reached out and rubbed his back soothingly. "Your family."

Alexei turned, took my hand and kissed it.   
_"Ya pokazhu tebe."_ He gently lead me upstairs to his room, and let go of my hand once we were inside so that he could open a box on his nightstand. Inside were scribbles on paper, official looking documents in Russian, and a photograph, which he handed to me. _"Moya sem'ya,"_ he said softly. _"Moi roditeli."_

The photograph was old, and of a young couple at their wedding. Alexei's mother was beautiful - he had her smile. She was radiant in a long lace dress, standing next to a handsome man with familiar looking curls. He was grinning in pure joy, his eyes shining behind his glasses.

"Anastasia," Alexei said softly, pointing to his mother. He then pointed to his father. "Aleksandr."

"And Alexei." I kissed his cheek. "Beautiful. Beautiful family." 

He smiled sadly, and nodded. 

"I'm sorry, baby," I whispered, and gently set the photograph on the bed so I could put my arms around him.

"They..." He breathed in, then picked up his translation book, his hands slightly shaking as he looked through it for the words he needed. "They...would...like you. Very much."

"My parents would have adored you." I leaned forward to give him a gentle kiss. "I love you."

"I love you," he murmured, and held me close.

"I love you," I whispered. "You have me. I'm not going anywhere."

We made love slowly, gently, and held each other afterwards. Alexei caressed my face and whispered to me, soft things in Russian that sounded like promises.

####

I set Alexei up in the living room with cartoons and some snacks, then called Vanessa's to check on Murray.

She answered the call, sounding giddy. "Hey there! Everything okay?"

"Much better, thanks. How are you two doing?"

"We're doing great. I'm guessing you want to talk to your cousin? Ugh, what am I saying, of course you do. Here he is!"

I heard Murray say something to Vanessa as she passed the phone that made her giggle like a schoolgirl. He was chuckling to himself when he spoke. "Hello, dear cousin. Still giving our Russian friend the cold shoulder?"

"No, we're okay. Are you feeling okay?"

Murray chuckled again. "Oh, I am."

I sighed. "Murray, it takes two weeks to recover from a burst appendix. Plus Vanessa just had surgery too, so I doubt that having sex would be..."

"I'm not an idiot!" Murray snapped. "We are both well aware. I'll have you know that we both have perfectly capable hands."

"Good god." I shook my head. "You do not need to go into details."

"Spare me! Spare me. You asked."

I scoffed. "I did not _ask_..."

"Enough! Put Alexei on."

"Fine." I went into the living room and pointed to the phone, and after Alexei nodded, I handed him the phone and went back to the kitchen to take out the chicken for tomorrow's dinner. 

I didn't feel a need to listen in on their conversations anymore. Alexei had told me what he knew - even if it was buried in metaphors and translations. Even if I didn't understand it, I knew he wasn't trying to hide anything from me. 

That's all I needed.

Murray talked to me again, huffing when I made him promise to take his pain medication and take care of himself. Vanessa was taking excellent care of him, he insisted, and again demanded that no one enter his room, then hung up.

"My cousin the nutcase," I muttered, and hung up the phone. It rang again almost immediately, and I picked it up with a groan. "For God's sake, I won't go in your room!"

"Hello?" It was a young girl, who sounded frantic. "Is this...is Jim Hopper there?"

My hand tightened its grip on the phone. "Elle?" I whispered.

"Yeah. I'm...is he there? He said he was going to go there. He was taking to Joyce."

"He's not here, but sweetie, where are you? We're worried sick about you." I gestured wildly to Alexei, who paused the video and handed me a pen and paper.

"We're okay," Elle insisted. "But Billy..."

"Billy will be fine. You need to get somewhere safe." My hand shook as I wrote down the time and date. "Please tell me where you are, Elle. Your dad is so worried. Please."

"We're in..." She whispered to someone in the background. "We're in...Nevada?"

_Nevada?_ Vanessa had said Murray and Alexei were talking about Nevada, and Dr. Owens had asked me about it when he called. "Are you in Carson City?"

"She knows!" Someone hissed in the background. 

"There was a building... underground...in Silver City..." Elle's voice got quiet. She had the phone held away from her and was talking to someone. _Will, or Max._

"Elle? Are you still there? Stay with me, please..."

"We're okay." It was another girl - Max. I recognized her voice from before. "We're totally fine. Got it all under control."

I bit back a sigh. "Please tell me exactly where you are - are you somewhere safe?"

Max snorted. "We're totally safe." She cleared her throat. "Alexei's there, right?"

_What the fuck?_ "He's here..."

"Do they have weapons there?" A boy asked in the background. 

"Is that Will?"

"Yeah, he's here, he's fine." Max muttered something away from the phone. "We have to go."

"Tell me where you are!" My heart was pounding against my chest. "Please, please..."

"Carson City. Midnight Hotel parking lot. We have food, we're fine. You're on..." I heard a piece of paper being crumpled, or unfolded. "You're on Blackridge Court, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"We're leaving in the morning. Billy is heading to the other government place in California. It's pretty close to you...Jim and Joyce went there with Alexei a few days ago."

My mind spun with the details. "No, hon, stay where you are. I'm going to call Jim..."

"Just tell him we're fine. Elle can see Billy and she's safe. We're okay. Stay safe!" Max hung up before I could reply. 

Hands shaking, I called Jim and told him what Elle and Max had told me. 

"Come here," I told him. "They mentioned going to the facility that you all went to with Alexei."

"What? Shit." Jim muttered something under his breath. "Okay, yeah. Thank you, Sarah. We'll get a flight, a car... we'll call you, okay?"

"Of course." I gave him my address again and tried to reassure him before we hung up. I offered to call the local police, but Jim said he'd handle everything. 

Alexei rubbed my shoulders when I hung up, and I turned to him, clinging tightly. 

"Will be okay," he whispered.

I nodded, then reached for the phone again. "I need to call my cousin," I mumbled. 

"Love you," Alexei murmured, and kept rubbing my shoulders as I called Vanessa.

Once I gave Murray the update, I gave the phone to Alexei so that Murray could explain everything to him. Alexei was concerned, speaking quickly and jotting some notes on his notepad. 

I went to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine, and poured one for Alexei. We were in desperate need of relaxation.

"Sarah." Alexei called me over, taking the glass of wine with an appreciative smile. 

I took the phone from him and sipped my wine as Murray assured me that while he didn't like "those weird brats", he admired how tough and intelligent they were. It was a hefty compliment from him, and it almost soothed me. 

Murray insisted that he should come back to my house for when Jim and Joyce arrived, but I managed to convince him to stay with Vanessa. He needed to rest and recover, I told him, and I promised to keep him updated. 

"Take care of Alexei," Murray told me. "And let him take care of you. Jim will handle this. Just be okay and keep yourselves safe."

"I will." I looked hung up and looked over to see that Alexei had put the stove on and was heating up the borscht. He glanced at me and gave me a sweet little smile that made my heart flutter. 

"I love you," he mouthed.

I grinned and placed my hand over my heart. 

We ate dinner and put the cartoons back on, needing something to distract us. Alexei's soft laughter cheered me up, and I rested against his chest as we tried to relax. 

It would all be fine. The kids were okay, and Jim and Joyce were coming here to take care of them. Murray was getting better, and found someone who really cared about him.

And I was with someone I loved, who loved me in return. 

The phone rang. I scrambled to get it, unsure if it would be Murray, Jim, or one of the kids.

It wasn't any of them.

"Hello, Sarah? It's Dr. Owens. I was wondering if my associate could speak to Dr. Kazakov...we might need his assistance after all."


	20. Everytime You Go Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your encouragement and comments! I'm honored that people are enjoying this story.

### Everytime You Go Away ###

Darkness. The woods outside my house, a familiar path that I'd walked after my marriage was over. The ground was cold under my feet, with branches crunching as I walked. I was alone. 

It was night time, but there was no moon. Still, I knew my way among the trees, and I walked slowly, surrounded by floating debris. The air tasted metallic, with a sour note. It felt wrong. 

_Why am I here?_

A soft humming filled the air, a familiar noise that I recognized as static. Underneath that, another familiar sound - soft breathing. Then, a low chuckle. Laughter. 

I wasn't alone. 

Something... someone...was with me. Watching. Waiting. 

My heart beat faster, and I held my breath. I didn't dare move, or he -

\- _he?_ -

\- would find me. 

_He's going to kill me._

Something was behind me. It loomed over me, reaching out. In darkness, I could still see the hulking shadow.

Slowly I turned, eyes wide, unsure of what was waiting for me. The thing growled and stretched out a claw. Its face opened, like a flower blooming, showing a horrifying array of teeth. It screamed, then so did I.

I woke up with my heart pounding. Alexei murmured in his sleep, curling toward me. 

Slowly I stretched, letting the cool sheets against my skin calm me. I was safe. I was with Alexei. Elle, Max, and Will were okay, and Jim and Joyce would be here soon. Everything would be fine.

I carefully got up, figuring a quick splash of water on my face would help wake me up. I didn't bother putting on pajamas - the cool air soothed me.

Earlier, Alexei had spoken to Dr. Owens's associate in Russian. When they were done speaking, Alexei gave me the phone so I could speak to Dr. Owens himself, who told me there was a new development at the local facility, and they needed Alexei's help. They'd be by to pick him up tomorrow evening, and hopefully he'd be back that night, or the next day.

Dr. Owens had hung up before I could ask him anything. 

I'd been anxious, but Alexei held me and told me it would be okay. We went to bed, made love, and fell asleep in each other's arms. 

I ran cold water over my hands, then placed them on my face, making myself shiver. Everything would be fine. 

"Sarah?" Alexei groaned and stretched. 

I smiled to myself. He'd gotten better at pronouncing my name. We'd been studying almost constantly, but he was picking up English much faster than I was picking up Russian. He was so patient with me. 

"Hey." I went back to bed, crawling under the covers and snuggling close.

"Beautiful," Alexei whispered, kissing my forehead. 

We held each other for a long time, just breathing.

####

When I woke again, the sun was shining. The darkness from my dream seemed a distant memory as we showered, dressed, and went downstairs to start the day.

I pushed away the thought of Alexei leaving in the evening. He'd be back soon. I couldn't let myself worry.

Alexei made blinis, which were Russian versions of crepes, and we had them with strawberry jam and cream cheese. We finished coffee, then Alexei grabbed his translation book.

"Teach you," he read, and pointed to the living room. 

"Teach me?" I put the last of the plates in the dishwasher and followed him to the front closet. 

He opened the door, and I sighed. "Murray told you to do this, didn't he?"

Alexei took out the BB gun and grinned at me. "Teach you. Stay safe."

I chuckled. "Okay, you win."

Once we were outside, he set up empty soda cans on the stone wall past the patio, spacing a couple close together and a few several feet apart. 

"This is nuts," I muttered, but managed a smile when Alexei walked back and handed me the BB gun. I'd never really practiced with the weapon, although I had shot at some trees the night I kicked Graham out, imagining his face each time I took a shot. It had been a drunken, self-pitying evening. 

I looked at the woods, remembering my dream from last night, and the feeling of being watched. I fought off a shiver. 

Alexei noticed and rubbed my shoulders. "Will be okay." He kissed my cheek and stood next to me, nodding in approval at my stance. "Good." He carefully raised the gun, gently arranging my arms to improve my aim, then consulted his translation book to talk to me. "Slow breathing. Take time."

I aimed, fired, and hit nothing.

"I suck at this," I told Alexei, but he frowned and pointed at the cans. 

I sighed and nodded. "Okay, yeah. I'll try again." He watched and nodded as I cocked the lever and loaded another pellet. This time I raised the gun slowly, squinting at a can and imagining the creature from my dream. I could see its face... or lack of a face...crouching, stalking me.

The pellet flew past the can, closer than the last time, but not hitting it. 

"Will be okay." Alexei thumbed through his book while I shook my head and cocked the gun again. He handed me another pellet with an encouraging smile. "Calm. Relax."

"Relax," I repeated, and inhaled slowly, focusing on the soda can directly in front of me. _I can do this._

"To relax. Slow. Then ready...push."

I pointed, holding my breath, then pulled the trigger. 

The pellet bounced off the can, jostling it to the side. 

"I did it!" I jumped and squealed, feeling dorky but not caring. "I totally did it! That counts!"

"Very good!" Alexei hugged me and gave me a quick kiss. "Very good."

"Now you." I handed him the gun, raising my eyebrows. "Show me what you can do."

Alexei smirked, then took the gun and cocked the lever, loaded a pellet and adopted the same stance that he showed me. He raised the gun, aimed, and fired.

The can flew to the ground with a clatter.

Before I could react, Alexei lowered himself to the ground, flat on his stomach, bending his knee so that his body was angled. He cocked and loaded the gun easily and quickly, then aimed again, and fired.

Another can fell, and he quickly got on his right knee, cocking the lever before the can fell. He fired at one of the remaining cans, then sat on the ground, crossing his legs and resting his elbows in his knees. Three cans remained, all close together. He repeated the loading process, aimed, and fired three quick shots, hitting them dead center. 

They fell on the ground, and Alexei got to his feet and causally brushed at his jeans.

"Wow." I stared at him, my breath hitching when he turned and winked at me. 

"Yes?" Alexei asked playfully, putting on the safety and setting the gun down.

"Mmhmm." I pulled him close, kissing him deeply. I wasn't one for guys being macho and showing off, but that was... "Incredible", I breathed.

"Yes?" he asked again, his voice lower as I ran my hands down his chest. 

"Yes," I murmured, and took his hand to lead him inside. 

Alexei chuckled and squeezed my hand as we bounded upstairs, and at that moment I realized something. Graham hadn't wanted kids, but I didn't want to go on the pill, since I could be forgetful at times. We were married, and I'd assumed we were monogamous, so I'd used a diaphragm during our marriage. I still had it in my bathroom. I could still use it.

Alexei and I had been tested. We could have sex without condoms.

"Sarah?" Alexei squeezed my hand again as I stood in the doorway of my bedroom, my thoughts racing. "Okay?"

I bit my lip, my heart beating a mile a minute. I had to ask him if he wanted that. If not, it would be okay, but I wanted to be clear. 

"Um...just a sec." I pointed at the bed and Alexei sat down, watching me as I found the Intimate Relationships section of my translation book. After trying to read the words, I gave up and pointed at the sentences that I'd found that explained the situation.

Alexei's eyes got wide, and he swallowed. "Would...be okay?"

I nodded. "Yes. Okay for you?"

He nodded quickly, then cleared his throat. "No... problems?"

I smiled and shook my head.

He pushed up his glasses, fidgeting a bit. Suddenly I realized that he'd probably never had sex without a condom before. 

"Do you want to?" I asked carefully, setting the book down.

"Yes," Alexei said quickly, then blushed. "Love you. Want to."

I smiled and sat next to him, taking his hand in mine. "Okay," I said softly, and leaned in to kiss him. 

Alexei returned my kiss almost shyly, stroking my face as our kiss deepened. His hands wandered and he carefully helped pull off my top, bending down and kissing along my shoulder as he cupped and squeezed my breasts.

I moaned and reached for his shirt, tugging it over his shoulders and laughing softly with him when his glasses fell off. He set them to the side and reached for me, undressing the both of us until we were laying side by side, our hands wandering slowly, luxuriously.

"Just a moment," I whispered, kissing him before heading to the bathroom to get ready. 

It had been a long time since I'd used the diaphragm, but I was able to get everything situated without a problem. I took a deep breath, smiled at my reflection, then went back out to the bedroom.

Alexei was waiting under the covers, smiling when I got back into bed. "Beautiful," he whispered, and pulled me close. 

We kissed, letting our hands wander again. He was still almost shy, his hand stilling when he stroked my thighs, but I kissed him and moved closer until his touches grew bolder. His fingers slipped inside me, and he breathed deeply as I moaned. Soon I was pulling at him, nearly demanding, and he settled on top of me and stroked my cheek, gazing into my eyes. "You...are okay?"

I nodded, carefully stroking his back. "I'm okay. I promise."

Alexei smiled, then took a deep breath and looked down, positioning himself against me. "I love you," he whispered, and gently pushed inside.

I gasped, tightening my hold on him. He moaned loudly, muttering something in Russian, then pushed again so that he was completely inside me.

"Oh god... I love you." I wrapped my legs around him and stroked his hair, his back, his arms. He was shaking like a leaf. "Baby, I'm here."

"Sarah," Alexei moaned, and began to slowly thrust. 

We gasped at the sensation, me clutching at his back while he grabbed my hand in desperation and squeezed it as he moved. His moans grew louder until he suddenly withdrew, and I bit my tongue to keep from crying out in disappointment until he pulled me onto his lap.

I leaned down to kiss him, then reached between us to guide him back inside me. "Oh god." I braced my hands on his chest and rocked my hips down, gasping as he pushed deep inside. "Oh god..."

Alexei moaned and rocked his hips up, pushing me down at the same time.

_Oh god. Oh god, oh god..._

My body seized. 

I cried out, grasping onto him as I began shaking. My orgasm tore through me and he murmured under his breath as I squeezed around him. 

Shaking, I grabbed the headboard, trying to catch my breath. Alexei ran his hands over my breasts, rubbing his thumbs over my nipples, then slid his hands down my body and grasped at my hips. He guided me to move on top of him, then began stroking my clit with his thumb.

I groaned and closed my eyes, letting him take control. My body was on fire. Another orgasm was building inside me, and my breathing deepened. It almost felt like panic. I nearly sobbed.

 _"Ya khochu chtoby ty konchila,"_ , he murmured, and moved his thumb faster.

I began to pant, grasping the headboard for dear life. My whole body began shaking. His cock throbbed inside me and I moaned helplessly.

 _"Konchai,"_ , he murmured. His thumb pressed hard against my clit, rubbing furiously.

I gasped, then threw my head back and screamed.

Alexei never stopped moving, rubbing hard and pushing deep into me. I convulsed, pleading and sobbing with pleasure as the strongest orgasm of my life racked my body. I could feel myself squeeze and pulse around him, and he shuddered, grasping onto my hips as I came. He inhaled deeply and moaned. 

I collapsed into him, shaking and nearly crying. He soothed me with gentle strokes along my sides, whispering to me as I continued gasping for air. He was still inside me. After a few moments, he began to move again. 

_"Ya khochu yeshcho,"_ , he murmured, pushing me down as he lifted up his hips.

Every thrust made me gasp. I was whimpering by the time his gentle caresses grew more bold, and nearly keened when he began rubbing my clit again.

"I love you," he whispered.

I whined and ground against him. He was so incredibly deep, so filling...

_Oh god... again..._

I buried my face into his neck and whimpered as I came, nearly clawing at his shoulders. He grunted and moved his thumb faster, making me shriek as I kept coming on him, around him.

"Alexei", I sobbed. "Alexei, Alexei..."

He moaned and moved both his hands to my hips, moving me faster. _"Sarah...Ya sobirayus' konchit...da..."_

His hands shook and suddenly he shouted, thrusting up hard. Warmth filled me and he shuddered as he pulsed inside me.

"Oh god...oh god, I feel you." I clutched onto him, unable to stop shaking. "Come for me...come in me...I want it."

Alexei laid back, panting, his cock twitching inside me as his orgasm settled.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I was dizzy, shaking like a leaf. I felt reborn. "My god," I whispered.

Alexei groaned and held me close, then rolled over so he was on top of me. I yelped and buried my hands in his hair as he thrust slowly into me, mumbling under his breath. 

"Alexei," I whispered, sighing when he settled against me with a shiver. I stroked his hair, humming softly as he gently withdrew. He sighed into my neck, nuzzling close when I kissed his forehead.

"I love you," he murmured.

"Love you too." I stretched and sighed in utter satisfaction. 

"Good?" he asked softly with a grin.

I giggled and kissed his shoulder. "Amazing. Fantastic. Incredible."

He chuckled and kissed me, slow and gentle. "Beautiful," he whispered. 

I dozed in his arms, and dreamt of walking in the woods again, but this time, there was light, and I was not alone.

####

Dinner was delicious. Alexei gave the Olivier salad a thumbs up, and after we ate and put away leftovers, he looked through the cookbook for other recipes, occasionally commenting to himself in Russian. I handed him a cherry ice and kissed him on the cheek, then headed back to the living room to start up another tape of cartoons.

Just as I was about to press Play, the phone rang. 

My blood chilled at the sound, but I ran to get it. Hopefully it was the kids, or Jim and Joyce.

"Hello?" 

"Hello." A young boy, sounding nervous, was on the other line. "Um. This is Will Byers. Is my mom there yet?"

I exhaled in relief, realizing that I'd been dreading another call full of static and creepy laughter. "She'll be here soon...where are you?"

"Um..." Paper crinkled in the background, most likely a map. "We just passed Sunnyvale."

My pulse jumped. "That's close to here! Come straight here to my house, we'll wait for your parents."

Alexei saw how agitated I was and stood close by, watching me with a concerned frown.

"We have to go to the lab where Mom and Chief Hopper went!" Will insisted. "If Billy gets there first..."

 _What the hell?_ "No, sweetie, Billy will be okay, just come here..." 

The line clicked - dial tone. He'd hung up.

"Damn it." I slumped onto the couch, feeling helpless. 

Alexei quickly sat next to me and rubbed my leg. "Love you," he whispered.

Before I could respond, the phone rang again, and I jumped up to answer it. "Will? Is that you?"

"Will called?" It was Joyce, sounding understandably frantic. "When? When was that?"

"Just now, just a second ago." I sat back down, willing my heart rate to calm. Alexei put his arm around me. 

"Did he sound okay? What did he say?" 

"Will said they were headed to a lab - he said you were there before. They're about thirty minutes away from here." I clenched my jaw. I wanted so badly to do something, to help in some way. But what the hell could I do?

Joyce muttered something away from the phone, and I could hear Jim curse. "We're here in California," Joyce said. "We landed pretty close to the lab, actually... we'll head there."

"Okay." I breathed in deeply, trying to calm myself. "It'll all be fine. Will sounded okay, just scared."

"Did he say anything else?" Joyce asked.

"No, but where is the lab? And why would Billy be there?"

Jim said something in the background, and Joyce sighed. "Okay, yeah. Listen, Sarah, we have to go now, but I'll call you later, okay? Thank you for everything. Be careful."

She hung up before I could respond. 

"Great," I muttered, and set the phone down. People hanging up on me was the latest trend, apparently.

Alexei hugged me, smoothing my hair and whispering soothingly. I leaned into him, breathing deeply.

Time seemed to drag in a strange way, tension filling the air as Alexei and I held each other on the couch. We stared numbly at the local news, a sense of dread hanging over us.

He was going to leave soon, to go to the lab where the children were headed, along with Jim and Joyce. I would be alone.

The thought chilled me.

I shivered and he hugged me close, kissing my forehead. I smiled and cuddled close, just listening to his heart beat. It soothed me.

Just as I was starting to relax, floodlights flashed in the window. Car doors slammed outside. An insisted knock at the front door made us both jump.

It was time for Alexei to go.


	21. Under a Raging Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spasibo again to forgets_a_lot for helping with the Russian dialogue!

### Under a Raging Moon ###

"All will be okay," Alexei whispered. We were standing by the door, holding each other. I knew I had to, but I didn't want to let him go.

Another loud knock made me jump. 

Alexei muttered something under his breath and sighed. "Need to go. Back soon."

"I know." I nodded and pulled away. "Please be careful, okay?"

He smiled. "Will be safe. I promise to you.

I reached up to stroke his face, smoothing back a few curls. "I love you."

"I love you." He turned and kissed my palm, then took my hand in his. "Come see. It is okay."

I nodded, and he opened the front door.

My driveway, and the street in front of my house were filled with unmarked vans. Men in lab coats stood next to uniformed soldiers, all staring at us as we walked outside.

I gasped at the sight, and Alexei squeezed my hand. "It is okay," he soothed.

A man in a lab coat stepped forward to greet Alexei. "Dr. Kazakov."

Alexei's jaw clenched. "Dr. Redmond," he replied evenly.

Dr. Redmond smiled, but his expression had no warmth. He glanced at me. _"A eto kto?"_

_"Eto zhenshchina, kotoruyu ya lyublyu,"_ Alexei retorted. _"Yesli ty budesh' derzhat' yeye v bezopasnosti, ya pomogu tebe."_

Dr. Redmond smirked. _"V Amerike nedavno, y uzhe vlyubilsya? A ty shustryy, Aleksey."_

Alexei sneered at him. _"Dlya tebya ya doktor Kazakov."_

_"Ya proshu proshcheniya."_ Dr. Redmond looked at me. "We have not been introduced. I am Nigel Redmond. I have been privileged to work with Dr. Kazakov."

I fought an urge to hide behind Alexei like a frightened child. "I'm Sarah." 

Dr. Redmond smiled. "It is a pleasure to meet you," he said in a lilting, almost mocking tone. His condescending attitude reminded me of Graham. I bit back a sarcastic response while he continued. "Dr. Kazakov has insisted that we have your home guarded while he works with us tonight."

I breathed in deeply. "Okay. How long will that be?"

"Hard to say." Dr. Redmond smirked, then looked back to Alexei. _"Nu vse, poshli?"_

_"Yeshche net."_ Alexei gently guided me back inside, closing the door behind us, then pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

I held him close, willing myself to ignore everything that was happening outside. My hands caressed his face and his hair. I didn't want to let go.

Our kiss broke, and Alexei rested his forehead against mine. We breathed the same air.

_"Kogda-nibud ty budesh' moyey zhenoy,"_ he whispered, and kissed me tenderly, all too briefly.

"I love you," I whispered. "Please be careful. Come home soon."

He nodded, and placed his hand over my heart. "Home," he whispered.

"Home." I rested my hand over his and smiled. "I love you so much."

"I love you." Alexei gave me another quick kiss. "Back soon. I promise."

I nodded, then reluctantly stepped back so he could go outside. I closed the door after him and hurried to the window, watching him walk briskly past Dr. Redmond, who said something that Alexei seemed to ignore. They got into a large van that was waiting for them, backed out of the driveway, and left. The other vehicles followed.

I glanced around at the guards who remained, all of whom were staring out at the street, and locked my door.

####

An hour passed. I tried to watch TV, but it couldn't hold my attention, so I tried to read a book. The quiet got to me, so I put on some soft music as background. I couldn't concentrate, so I ended up just sitting on the couch, thinking.

What was Alexei doing right now? Was he safe?

Feeling too anxious to sit around, I got up to look at the camera monitors that Murray had set up for security. I had a view of the front and back of the house, as well as a good look of the woods past the backyard. 

Nothing was going to happen. I knew it, but the cameras made me feel safer than the guards outside. 

The images on the monitors flickered.

I frowned, but the flickering stopped, just as soon as it started. 

_Weird._

If Alexei was here, I'd make coffee, and we'd watch cartoons. Maybe we'd try to watch a sitcom and I could try to explain it to him. We'd laugh, and hold each other. 

I'd feel loved, and safe. 

And now...

"Fuck it," I muttered, and headed into the kitchen. Just because Alexei wasn't here didn't mean that I was helpless. I had guards, security cameras, training in self defense, and a BB gun. Alexei wanted to make sure I was looked after since he was working with military weapons, under very secretive conditions.

Like he said, everything would be fine - I just needed to relax. 

I made a pot of coffee, and looked through my translation book while it brewed. I looked over the section for names, and smiled when I saw Alexei's name. 

**Alexei : "Defender of the people"**

**Diminutive - _Lyosha_ * a term of endearment used by loved ones for those named Alexei**

****

"Lyosha," I whispered to myself, and smiled. Maybe I could surprise Alexei when he got home by calling him that. 

Something flashed. I looked over, and saw that the monitors were flickering again.

I sighed, and walked over to the setup of monitors next to the living room. Murray had also set up a couple of monitors in my bedroom, but I hadn't really bothered with them yet. Murray was an expert on everything related to security, and Alexei had helped him set up the whole thing, so I was sure the problem wasn't with the system. It was probably something small that needed to be adjusted...

The flickering started up again, then the monitor screens went black. 

Before I could react, the visuals came back up, but were flipped so they were upside down. 

Footsteps sounded outside. The guards were murmuring to each other, voices raised in alarm. 

I looked to my front door, then back to the monitors. Static blurred the images into a grainy mess, and then they all went dark again.

Outside, someone shouted something that sounded like a command. I looked outside the window, but couldn't see much as a couple of guards were blocking my view. In the street, a guard was holding up his hand, speaking loudly as he slowly backed up and reached for his weapon.

"Holy shit." I ran upstairs into Alexei's room, where I could get a good angle to see what that guard was seeing. Instinctively I pressed myself against the wall, not wanting to be seen, and pushed aside the curtain.

The guard was still speaking, holding up a hand as if to ward away what was approaching.

A crowd was closing in on him, staring straight ahead, moving almost like they were sleepwalking. Women, men, young, old - they all walked zombie like toward down my street. I couldn't see the expressions on their faces, but by the way the were walking, they were probably blank, like masks. They walked toward the guard with purpose, showing no signs of slowing or stopping. 

"What the hell?" I whispered.

One of the guards approached a young woman in the crowd, who turned to him, and seemed to lunge.

Everything was a blur after that. Guards fired shots, and I ran downstairs in a panic. I grabbed the phone, but instead of a dial tone, there was only loud static. I slammed down the receiver, but no change.

A horrifying scream made my blood chill. I looked wildly to the front door, but was too terrified to budge. 

Gunshots. A small burst of sound, like an explosion. Then suddenly, silence.

"They're down! All down!" someone shouted. "All clear!"

Everything froze. Slowly, I breathed in. The silence grew, a strange contrast to the recent gunfire and screaming.

I could hear the guard who made the all clear announcement talking to another guard. He sounded calm, resolute.

Was it over?

My relief was short lived, because that same voice suddenly shouted in pain, screaming "He got me!" 

Another guard yelled something that sounded like "Stop him!" but a series of answering gunshots drowned out any possible response. 

_Do something!_

I ran to the front closet, taking out the BB gun that Alexei and I used only hours before. I grabbed the box of pellets and cursed when I dropped them. 

_No no no no no...._

The box burst open when it hit the ground, and most of the pellets scattered on the floor. I reached down and managed to grab a handful. Some slipped to the floor, bouncing away from me.

Footsteps. Slow and deliberate. Walking up to the house.

_Pull the lever. Put the pellet in. You can do this._

My hands shook. A couple of pellets fell, and I gritted my teeth as I pulled back the lever.

_You can do this._

Somehow I managed to get a pellet in, the others slipping from my hand to the floor.

Glass shattered. I jumped and screamed when I saw that someone was slamming something against the window next to the front door. The back of a rifle smashed the window to pieces, then the weapon was dropped after it served its purpose. A hand reached in, grasping the door lock, and easily turned it.

_No, oh god no, please..._

_Concentrate! Aim the gun. Breathe. You can do this. You can do this..._

The door swung open. I lifted the gun, and with shaking hands, I aimed.

A young man walked in, his sneakers crunching over the broken glass. He was handsome, with clear eyes, a moustache, and dark wavy long hair that cascaded past his shoulders. His white shirt and jeans were covered with dirt, sweat, and blood spatters. 

He looked at me, and smiled. The sight made my skin crawl. 

"Sarah Bauman," he said softly, and licked his lips. 

I knew. Somehow I knew.

"Billy?" I whispered, the gun shaking in my hands.

"I've been looking for you," he said in a taunting, singsong voice, and the lights flickered as he walked toward me.


	22. A Man Could Go Quite Mad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a while, I had some deadlines to take care of - thank you so much for the comments!

### A Man Could Go Quite Mad ###

I stared as Billy grinned at me, still slowly approaching. My mind screamed at me to do something, but I was frozen. 

"What...why...?" My question came out in a whisper, my voice wavering. 

Billy's smile broadened, revealing his teeth. He licked his lips and began to walk toward me. "He sent me here. For you." Glass crunched under his shoes as he approached. "So pretty. I might keep you for myself."

The gun shook in my hands. "Don't...don't come any closer," I managed to stammer. "You're sick....but if you...try to..."

His eyebrows raised. "Sick?" Billy glanced at the BB gun and shook his head. "You think I'm sick..."

"Please," I whispered, my eyes blurring with tears. "Please, I don't want to hurt you but I'll..."

"You won't." Billy smiled and kept walking closer, carefully avoiding the spilled pellets that littered the floor. "You like to act tough. You like to pretend." 

I backed up, keeping my gun aimed at him. "Stop," I whimpered. "Stop, please stop..."

"But you're weak," he continued. "Just...like...all of you. So many weaknesses." He chuckled and sniffed the air. "I can smell him on you. That doctor...the one who will set me free."

My stomach dropped. _Alexei._

"He's going to open the gate," Billy continued. "He will open it, and I will come through, and claim this world as mine. If he refuses..." Billy ran his tongue over his teeth. "Well. Then he'll have to watch as I pull you apart, bit by bit, until he lets me out. Would your doctor still love you then? Would he still want your pretty body, if it's in pieces?"

I nearly dropped the gun in horror as I back into the kitchen counter. Billy kept walking toward me, that horrible grin on his face. Somehow I managed to raise the gun again, and tried to breathe deeply, remembering what Alexei had said earlier. 

_Relax. Deep breath. Aim._

_Fire._

The pellet bounced off Billy's neck and he hissed in pain, his hand reaching up as he growled. His eyes widened with fury.

"You fucking bitch. You'll goddamn pay for that!"

He lunged at me, and in a panic I grabbed at the coffee pot and hurled it at him. The coffee splashed over his chest, making him howl and double over in pain. 

_"If you have to fight, fight dirty,"_ was something Murray had taught me for as long as I could remember.

I stepped up to Billy and stomped at his crotch until he doubled over in pain, choking and groaning. 

Quickly I reloaded the gun, hurrying to the living room while Billy writhed on the floor. I grabbed the piece of paper with Vanessa's address on it and my car keys.

"Run," Billy moaned. "Get out of here. Can't...can't hold him back...run!"

With a terrified sob, I tore out of my home, past the fallen guards and to my car. I lurched the door open, throwing in the BB gun and slamming the door shut.

Tears blurred my vision as I tried to turn the key. My hands shook so badly that I almost dropped them. "Just go," I moaned, slamming my palm on the dashboard. "Just fucking start the damn car..."

The engine roared to life and I laughed in utter relief. I instinctively buckled my seatbelt and looked around. Nothing. Darkness. 

The stillness was eerie, making me almost wonder if I'd imagined the whole thing. 

I looked up, and Billy stared at me intently from the front door. 

I screamed and put the car in reverse while he quickly approached. His lips were pulled back in a sneer, and he'd grabbed a baton from one of the fallen guards. He pulled back his arm, ready to strike the car, or me, but I slammed on the gas and sped down the street, leaving him and my home behind.

####

Vanessa lived about ten minutes away. I got there in about half that time.

Tires screeched as I slammed on the brakes in front of her house, parking next to the driveway. I had no idea if the car parked there was hers, but she's never mentioned having any roommates. 

I stumbled out of the car and ran up to the front door, nearly slamming myself against it. All I could think of was the code phrase Murray and I had agreed on for emergencies. "Buster brown! Buster brown!" I sobbed, pounding my fists against the door.

Vanessa flung open the door, with Murray standing beside her. "Holy shit," she breathed. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Buster brown?" Murray demanded, his eyes wide.

I nodded and sobbed, nearly collapsing into Vanessa's arms. 

"We've got you, you're okay," she soothed, and carefully lead me inside, closing and locking the door behind her. Murray reached for me, putting his arm around me and leading me to the couch. 

"What happened? Where's Alexei?" He rubbed my back while Vanessa hurried into the kitchen.

"He went to the lab. They took him. There were guards...Alexei told them to stay to watch over me." Vanessa handed me a glass of water and I took a quick sip. "Thank you. I was inside, and then....the guards...there were all these people who showed up on the streets, and there were gunshots...the guards were killed. The people disappeared... except one. Billy."

"Billy?" Murray went pale. "What happened? Did he hurt you?"

"He tried to." I shivered. "But I got away."

Vanessa sat next to me and put her hand on my shoulder. "Do you want us to call the police? Do you need to go to a hospital?"

"No, I need to get to Alexei. Jim and Joyce are going to the lab too, and that's where the kids are headed." 

Vanessa abruptly got up and went into another room, and Murray leaned close. "Sarah, I'll go with Vanessa. You can stay here and..."

"No! Fuck that, Murray, I'm going. I'm involved now, and I want to make sure Alexei's okay." I set my glass down and glared at him. "Don't even think of trying to convince me otherwise."

Vanessa reappeared, her keys in one hand and a stun gun in the other. "I'm ready. Let's go."

"Wait a second." Murray stood up and held his hands out to both of us. "There are things that I haven't told you, and it might not be safe."

"We're going," Vanessa informed him. "You'll tell us whatever we need to know on the way."

"Are you sure you want to come too?" I asked Vanessa as I stood up. "I have no idea what to expect, and you don't have to..."

She snorted. "You're goddamn fucking right I'm going! If I can handle shitty roadies and sexist managers, I can handle this." She jingled her keys. "Let's go." 

Murray threw his hands up. "Fine! But you two had better keep an open mind." He stormed to the door, and Vanessa and I followed close behind.

####

Vanessa drove like crazy to the lab as we listened to Murray tell us about Hawkins. We listened quietly, with Vanessa asking the occasional question. I didn't know what to think.

Murray turned around. "Well?"

I shook my head. "I can't...it's impossible." 

"What did Alexei tell you?" he demanded. "The same thing, right? You think we're both lying?"

"No, I just thought he was using metaphors or things were lost in translation..."

"Are you serious? Metaphors?"

"What was I supposed to believe?" I shouted. "That my boyfriend opened an alternate dimension and a girl with mind powers can help close it?"

"As a matter of fact, yes!"

"It's insane!"

"It's the truth!"

"Whoa. You guys, look." Vanessa slowed down as we got to the gate to the lab. It was already busted open, looking like someone drove through it. 

"Looks like Jim's here," Murray muttered. "Or Max. That kid drives like a demon." 

"How the hell do you how she drives?" I demanded. "She's what, fourteen? How did she even learn to drive at her age?" 

Murray looked back at me with an annoyed sneer. "I never encouraged her to drive! Teenagers do what they want, it's what makes them unbearable."

"Fine, whatever." I sat forward as we approached the lab, a huge glass building in the middle of nowhere. Inside, lights flickered on and off. 

"Oh my god. Guys...look." Vanessa put her brights on and slowed to a crawl. 

A pile of bodies were strewn around the entrance, bloodied and mangled. They crowded around the doorway in a chaotic heap, spilling onto the ground. 

Vanessa shut the car off and let out a shaky breath. "Shit. Those poor bastards."

I leaned close, and gasped. Some of the bodies were wearing lab coats.

"Alexei," I whispered, my heart aching. "Could he be...?"

"He's fine." Murray turned and looked me in the eyes. "He wouldn't have tried to escape. He's still in there, fighting it. He wouldn't..." He paused, looking past me. "What the hell?" His eyes grew wide, and he began to claw at the door. "Get out. Get out! Both of you!" 

Vanessa and I turned, and I screamed when I saw the same group of people who I'd seen earlier, the ones who walked down my street and attacked the guards, slowly approaching. We all scrambled to get out of the car, hurrying to the entrance. The bodies blocked the door, and the idea of climbing over them to get inside was horrific.

"We'll break a window," Murray suggested. "Get a rock, something big..."

"No, I've got it. You guys wait here." Vanessa ran back to the car while we stared in shock.

"What are you doing?" Murray shouted, and moved to follow her, but I held him back. "What is she doing?" he moaned.

We watched as she started up the car, then quickly backed up, getting fairly close to the approaching crowd. 

"Oh god," I whispered. Was she planning to run them over? To get help?

Suddenly she stopped, and the car raced forward. She wasn't slowing down.

"Shit!" Murray grabbed me and spun me around as Vanessa crashed into the building, glass shattering everywhere. I shrieked as I heard the car slam into a wall, clinging at Murray.

"Vanessa," he whimpered. "Oh shit..."

I grabbed his hand and we quickly ran to the shattered wall, carefully stepping inside the building. Vanessa opened the driver's side door and leaned out with a weak grin. "Touchdown," she wheezed. 

"Vanessa!" Murray pulled me close and we hurried to her side, helping her out of the car. "You crazy lady," he breathed, stroking her cheek. "Are you okay? What the fuck were you thinking?"

"Got us in, didn't I?" She smiled and grimaced as she stretched. "I'm fine. Car's insured. I was thinking of getting a new one anyway."

"Jesus." Murray laughed and kissed her cheek. "You've got to be more careful."

"I will, I promise. Here." She handed him a flashlight. "Might need that."

"You're amazing," Murray told her, and she grinned. 

"I believe you." Vanessa kissed him and reached into her pocket, pulling out the stun gun. "I'm fine. Let's get going." 

Murray put his arm around her and we headed into a huge hallway. Shouts echoed around us, and I jumped at the sound of gunfire. "Alexei," I whispered, and began to run. "Baby, please be okay."

"Slow down!" Murray yelled. "You don't have your gun with you, and you can't face this shit without a weapon!"

The lights flickered again, and Murray turned on the flashlight, darting it around the walls before aiming it ahead of us. 

"Fuck." I stopped, unsure of what to do. I had no idea where I was, where Alexei was, what I could do to help, or even what was going on.

Another gunshot made me jump, and a familiar voice made my heart start pounding like mad.

_"Redmond, otoydi ot dveri! Tebe nuzhno chertovski slushat' menya, yesli khochesh' vyzhit'!"_

"Alexei!" I started running, ignoring Murray and Vanessa's shouts behind me. I hurried toward his voice, my mind screaming. _Please be okay please be okay I love you please_...

I rounded a corner, the voices growing louder. When I pushed through a door, I saw Dr. Redmond cowering against a wall, cringing as gunshots echoed through the room. A few feet ahead, a creature lay prone, bleeding and twitching. It looked like a deformed dog, with an eyeless face and huge teeth - just like the sketches Alexei had shown me.

Alexei muttered to himself and expertly reloaded a shotgun, cocking it and looking past the fallen creature. _"Davay. Nam nuzhno dobrat'sya do devochki. Yey nuzhna nasha pomoshch'."_

"Alexei!" I sobbed, nearly collapsing in relief. "Alexei... oh god..."

He whirled around, staring at me in shock. "Sarah?"

The lights flickered again before everything went dark.


	23. And We Danced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for not updating in forever - I had some personal and professional things that took priority, then of course all of this current madness. But I promise you that I'm not abandoning this story.
> 
> I hope all of you are well, and staying safe. Much love to you all. ♥️

## 23 And We Danced ##

I screamed in the darkness. A small beacon of light darted around, then focused on me. 

"Sarah! Jesus, I told you not to run off." Murray stormed in, holding the flashlight, Vanessa close behind, wielding her stun gun. 

_"Chto sluchilos'? Pochemu ty zdes'?"_ Alexei demanded as I hurried to him. He put an arm around me and rubbed my shoulder.

Dr. Redmond scrambled to his feet and glared at Murray. _"Kak vy popali v eto zdaniye?"_

Murray began to retort but Vanessa interrupted him and answered Alexei instead. _"Sumasshedshiy podrostok vorvalsya v dom Sary i popytalsya napast' na neye, no ona ubezhala."_ She groaned and stretched. _"I my razbili moyu mashinu, chtoby popast' syuda."_

"For God's sake, speak English," I nearly sobbed. Alexei murmured my name and kissed the top of my head. All I could do was cling to him.

_You're safe. You're okay._

Murray ignored me and spoke rapidly to Alexei in Russian, but before I could protest, Vanessa rushed up to me with a nervous, but encouraging grin.

"No worries...I'll translate, okay?" She nodded at Murray. "He's asking Alexei where the girl is, and Alexei said she's with the others... including Jim and Joyce. Alexei said he has to close a gate... something about dogs? But Murray...he's wanting to know what we do about the..." She frowned. "The people... _kontroliruyUtsya zlym dukhom_...possessed by a demon."

"Those people out there," I whispered, and shuddered. "Billy. He said he couldn't stop him."

Murray turned to me. "If we kill the Mindflayer, then they should be okay. Or they're already dead." He nodded at my horrified expression. "I know, it's a shitty situation, but it's the one we have, so let's work with it, shall we?"

"Hey, easy there, tiger." Vanessa patted my arm reassuringly and scowled at Murray. "Where's this gate, anyways?"

Murray pointed down a dark hallway. "There, but you're staying here with Sarah."

"Fuck. That!" Vanessa squeezed my shoulder. "No offense, of course. But you're not leaving us here alone. We're all in this weird shit together."

"Fine!" Murray shouted, throwing his hands up. "Let's go, then! Fuck it!"

"Excuse me!" Dr. Redmond stepped forward with a huff. "None of you are fully qualified to..."

"Oh, shut up!" I yelled. "I think we have more important things to deal with than your bullshit ego!"

"Yeah, save it, dweeb." Vanessa punched Murray's shoulder. "Lead the way, babe."

####

Murray let me keep the flashlight and confiscated Dr. Redmond's so he could lead the way. Dr. Redmond seemed to know not to argue, but he muttered to himself until Alexei hissed something at him, and then there was only the sound of our footsteps.

I swung my flashlight around while Murray kept his steady and straight ahead. I even checked behind us, but there was no one, or nothing. The sight did not make me feel any safer. 

"Sarah," Alexei whispered, and squeezed my hand. I looked up at him to see him smiling. "Will be okay. I love you."

I managed to return his smile. "Love you too."

"Wait!" Dr. Redmond held out his arm, shushing us. "I heard something."

We all froze and glanced at each other. Murray scowled and was about to say something, but then the sounds of young voices screaming sounded from down the hallway.

"Fuck!" Vanessa held up her gun. "Okay, time to hustle."

"Where?" Dr. Redmond wailed. "We're not safe here!"

"To the gate, obviously! Those kids need our help!"

"I didn't sign up for this shit!" Dr. Redmond snatched at my flashlight. "Give me that! I'm getting out of here!"

Alexei snarled and stood in front of me as I kicked at the other man. _"Otoydi ot neye!"_

Suddenly an otherworldly shriek echoed through the hall, silencing all of us. 

"The children," I whispered. "We have to..."

Dr. Redmond whimpered, then turned on his heel and ran. 

"Fucking coward!" Murray shouted after him. "Okay. We're moving on. _Poyekhali!_ "

"Is all right," Alexei soothed me, and rubbed my back. "Okay?"

I nodded. "I'm fine, baby."

We kept walking until Murray's flashlight landed on a figure lying on his stomach, his face mercifully turned away from us. Blood pooled underneath him, but Murray carefully approached him and reached into his jacket.

"What are you doing?" I hissed. "Leave his wallet alone!"

Murray snorted and turned back, holding a pistol. "He won't be needing this anymore. Here," he said, offering me the gun. "You need to be armed. Just in case."

My jaw dropped. "I can't shoot a gun! Jesus!"

"Do not argue with me right now!"

"Murray, I can barely shoot. I got lucky with the BB gun, I cannot..."

Vanessa stepped forward. "We'll switch. You can use the taser, I'll take the pistol."

"Yes, fine!" Murray waved the pistol around. "As long as you have something, Sarah. You need to be armed!"

"Fine!" I took Vanessa's taser and glared at my cousin. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic!"

Alexei suddenly cocked his gun and aimed it at Murray. _"Shag nazad! Shag nazad!"_

All of us stared at Alexei in shock. Murray frowned at him, then whirled around, shining his flashlight on a man in Army fatigues. 

I yelped and gripped the taser as Vanessa pulled Murray back. 

The man grinned, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I'd seen that grin before - it was that same leering, almost playful grin that Billy had when he'd broken into my house. 

"You're all too late," the man breathed, and his eyes rolled back as he fell to the ground, convulsing.


End file.
